My Way
by MadsMax1315
Summary: Damon decides to have his way with Elena when Stefan doesn't give her what she needs. Lemon ensues - originally a one shot, now continued into a longer story. Now Elena must battle her guilt and choose between them. But how will she ever choose when they both make her feel things so deeply? And what will happen when new problems are introduced into the mix?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey yall, couple of notes before we start this hot shit-**

 **This is going to be set in the earlier seasons when Elena and Stefan are still together but the tension between Elena and Damon is there and has been building for a while. Now I know that the Elena we all know and love never would let this happen in early TVD seasons, but just use your imagination a little bit :) Once again this is just Delena sexy stuff with some plot to make it more interesting. It's just for fun because who doesn't love a good sex scene? so if you don't like lemons you might as well just stop here! Enjoy Xx**

Elena was lying on her bed, staring at Stefan's contact on her phone screen. It was early September, and the air was still mildly warm. A cool breeze blew through her open window, tickling her bare legs and arms. Stefan had left her house about an hour ago in a disgruntled hurry. They had been arguing all day. Stefan was letting Damon's incessant attempts to overshadow him get into his head. Damon was outdoing himself lately with the "do-gooding." He had just helped the sheriff crack a huge case that she had been working on for months. He helped Alaric land a date with a bar regular that he had been drooling over lately without compelling anyone. He also had given the brotherly banter a rest. He wasn't getting in Stefan's way, causing problems with feeding in public, or trying to get to Elena. Stefan was suspicious to say the least. No matter how hard he tried, Stefan could not figure out what Damon's ulterior motives were. Elena had suggested that maybe Stefan had finally gotten through to his brother and that Damon was just trying to turn a new leaf, but this had enraged Stefan even further. He accused Elena of knowing something about Damon's recent endeavors and not telling him even though Elena had no idea what was going on. He was constantly in a bad mood and began to project it on to Elena. She would ask him a simple question, and he would snap at her in response. He was not himself, and Elena was getting tired of it.

She desperately wanted to call Stefan and ask him to come spend the night. She was deeply yearning for his touch. While he did try to spend as much time as possible with Elena in the daytime, his Damon nonsense kept him occupied most nights. He hadn't slept over since school began, and Elena was getting restless. She took one last look out her window praying to see Stefan jumping up inside to save her from this awkward phone call, but she was only greeted by the rustling leaves of the trees. She stared into her yard where the bright moon cast shadows onto the landscape ahead of it. The shadows moved around and warped with the wind. With a start, she realized that one of the shadows appeared to be a man. She squinted into the darkness and tried to make out the shapes, but she could see nothing but trees. Her eyes must be playing tricks on her. She shivered and stepped away from the window, pacing back to her bed and picking up her phone once more. She took a deep breath and dialed Stefan's number before her mind could convince her to lie alone again.

The dial tone rang a few times before he picked up, and she was surprised to hear a loud roar of activity behind his voice.

"Hello?" Stefan answered loudly. Elena tried to make out the sounds behind him, but it just sounded like people chattering and maybe a band playing.

"Hey." She replied. She bit her lip, not knowing how to start this conversation. "What are you doing?"

"I just got to The Grill. I haven't seen Damon all day and I'm thinking that he might show up here tonight. If I keep a low profile he might not notice I'm here and maybe I can hear what he's up to."

"Oh," Elena said quietly. She was hoping to catch him at home so that he would have less of an excuse not to come to her. "Why do you think he would be at The Grill?" At that moment, Elena heard in the background, 'I'm going to order a round of drinks while we wait Stef.' The voice belonged to Caroline, and Elena's confusion and frustration increased. "Why is Caroline with you Stefan?"

"She is the one who came up with this plan actually. She texted Damon to invite him here. She said that she and her friends were having a birthday party and that the birthday girl found him attractive." Elena remained silent for a moment and Stefan quickly added, "That's all Elena. I would much rather you be here with me instead. I just want to keep you out of this as much as possible. I figure that Damon will think that I'm with you tonight so he won't be on guard. And he never would have believed it if you were the one who invited him to The Grill tonight. He would have been suspicious."

 _Would he though?_ Elena thought to herself. She and Damon had been becoming closer lately. It seemed like when Stefan got obsessed with a project like tracking Klaus or exposing Tyler, Damon was always around to pick up the slack. They had been eating dinners together at the Salvatore house while she waited for Stefan to return. While their conversations used to be full of snide comments and disinterest on Elena's part, something seemed to be changing. She was resisting it with everything that she had inside of her, but she definitely did not hate Damon. Those long conversations had let her see deeper parts of him, vulnerable parts, that only made her want more. She found herself looking forward to his company, and even more looking forward to looks from those smoldering eyes that made her breath catch and her knees weak…

 _No._ She stopped herself quickly. She had told Bonnie about her new friendship with Damon, and Bonnie was quick to be skeptical. She thought that Elena was developing feelings for Damon. Elena denied every point that Bonnie brought up. There was no way she had feelings for Damon. Even with that sexy body, beautiful raven black hair, and those damn _eyes,_ she was not going to be one of the girls to fall for his charm. She loved Stefan. Even if they were going through a bit of a rough patch right now, nothing could change that.

Even after she thought about her love and devotion for Stefan, however, she couldn't shake that exciting feeling that she got when she thought about Damon.

"Elena?" Stefan called through the phone. She had gotten lost in her own thoughts and forgot what she was doing.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I zoned out…" She still wasn't sure how to go about getting him to come to her. "It's okay Stefan. I understand that you don't want me involved, but it still doesn't stop me from wanting to be there, helping you." The noise in the background of her phone was deafening. She could hear people laughing and cheering and music blaring from the live band. "I was just calling because I wanted to ask… Maybe you could take a break from the detective work, just for tonight?" Her voice sounded small and timid. This is not the way she wanted to come across. She needed him tonight, needed him to be touching her. She did not want him to feel like she was just a little girl asking for attention.

"Elena," he started. "I think that I need to be here. I want to spend time with you too. Caroline set this whole party up just so I could do this, and I'd hate to—"

"I don't think you understand," Elena interrupted. "Stefan, you're so wrapped up in this that you haven't been here for so long. I need you."

"I'll be with you first thing in the morning and we can spend the day together. How's that?"

"I don't want the day, though." Elena gritted her teeth. She needed to get through to him. "I need you. Like need you to fuck me, need you."

She could hear Stefan's sharp intake of breath and hoped that it was a good sign. She rarely talked dirty or used that kind of language in general, but the heat radiating from between her thighs was too much to bear. She had no time to beat around the bush.

"Elena," he groaned. She could hear the thickness in his voice. He wanted her too. _Please Stefan,_ she thought. _Please don't put everything else above me again._ To her dismay, he replied with, "Please don't do this to me. I want you so much right now but I am in no position to just leave what I've started. I swear I'll make this up to you."

She sighed, defeated. She wanted to say something else to him to make him drop everything and come to her, but she didn't know what. "Okay." She finally said. Caroline's shrill voice came over the background again, 'Ric is here, let's go sit with him! Maybe he will know something.' "Well I'll let you go then." She could feel a lump forming in her throat. She felt utterly ridiculous. Who was she? Does she really need sex that badly, that she would cry when it's not given to her? She swallowed the lump and sighed. "I'll take you up on your offer for tomorrow."

"Okay, great. You can hold me to it." Elena tried to cheer up at the happiness in his voice, but she could only feel annoyance toward him now. She heard the beep of him disconnecting the phone call and tossed her phone onto the dresser beside her. Another breeze blew in from the window. She let the cool air rush over her skin, overheated with the anticipation of sex. She closed her eyes and let her fingers wander down below the waistline of her lacy underwear. If Stefan wasn't going to give her what she needed, she would do it her damn self.

xXx

Damon could hardly believe what he was hearing. Stefan was denying Elena sex? This is where they differed as brothers. Damon would never put anything above the needs of a lady, especially a lady like Elena. Damon was leaning against the oak tree in Elena's yard. His vampire hearing allowed him to listen in on Elena and Stefan's phone call clear as day. He had come over to… well he actually wasn't 100% sure why he'd come over. He found himself yearning for Elena's company. Not that that was anything new, but tonight, the need was deep. He knew nothing would happen. He didn't even think she would allow his presence this late at night. He knew that he was hoping for too much, but oh, how he desperately hoped that the time they were spending together was warming Elena up to him. They had kissed only twice (not counting the time that it was actually Katherine), and he had compelled her to forget the last time. The feeling that he got from just those small moments was enough to make him want to tear her door off its hinges and take her right now.

Damon licked his lips and stared up into her open window. He could hear her soft breaths cutting through the sound of the breeze in the night. He wanted her so badly. No. He didn't just want her; he _needed_ her. Like he needed blood. Like he had needed Katherine, but 10 times more if that was even possible. He closed his eyes and let his mind wander, as he often did during these nights he spent below her window, fantasizing about making dirty, passionate, mind blowing love to her. Damon heard Elena's breathing rate pick up. She was shifting around on what sounded like her bed. He listened closely for another minute, until he heard a soft moan escape her. _Oh fuck,_ he thought. _She's touching herself._ He could feel the already formed bulge in his pants grow harder at the thought of it. God, how he would do _anything_ to be able to watch this erotic scene that was unfolding not even 20 feet above him. He shifted uncomfortably against the tree. His mind was spinning. Was Stefan serious? What the hell was wrong with him? He's got the most beautiful, exquisite creature all hot and bothered and practically begging to be pleased, and instead he's going to chase after his brother for no apparent reason. Damon was lost in contempt for his idiot little brother when he heard something that made his eyes snap open and his breath freeze in his lungs.

There's no way. His ears are playing tricks on him. But there's no chance that his razor-sharp hearing misled him. Elena was quietly, almost silently, but unmistakingly whimpering his name.

xXx

Elena's thoughts became muddy as she started to feel pleasure budding between her legs. She was slowly rubbing wide circles around her swollen clit, and she felt a bit of the tight knot of desire that had been in her stomach for the past couple of weeks loosen. She reached down lower to her entrance and slid her fingers across it, slick with desire. She rubbed this new, warm wetness up and down her folds, stopping to fondle her clit every so often. It felt good, but it was far from what she needed. She needed to feel Stefan's long cock inside of her. She wanted it so badly that her breathing picked up speed at just the thought of him.

Elena had been with men before Stefan. Matt was her first, and although it was a fond memory, it was clumsy. They took each other's virginity, and even though it meant a lot to both of them, the sex was nothing compared to the sex that Stefan provided. She supposed that it was not fair to compare a vampire to a human in any sense, especially sexual experience, but she couldn't help it. Stefan seemed to know just what to do to make her feel like she was dancing on clouds. The only problem was, Stefan did not give it to her enough. She often thought that he was afraid that he would break her or scare her off. The last time they had sex, it was extremely passionate and almost animalistic. Stefan had ended up losing a bit of control and left deep purple bruises up and down her arms from holding too tight. Elena hadn't minded, but she could tell that it scared Stefan.

She closed her eyes again and began to fantasize about what would be happening if Stefan wouldn't have denied her and would have came to her tonight. She pictured him walking into her room where she was already waiting on the bed. He would slowly lay down beside her and begin kissing up and down her body. His lips would trail over her skin, leaving the feeling of burning desire in Elena everywhere that he touched. He would slip his head down between her legs and kiss up both her thighs, wasting no time. She pictured soft kisses being placed on the sides of her entrance, so close to where she wanted them but still so far.

Her fingers were moving faster now, shifting up and down over her clit. Her breathing picked up again, and she knew that she was close. She reluctantly removed her fingers from her clit and slowly slid one finger inside of her. She did not want to cum yet. She slowly pumped her finger in and out of herself before adding a second finger. Oh god, how she wanted to be fucked. She needed it. She deserved it. She shouldn't have to be touching herself right now. _You know who wouldn't make you please yourself?_ She thought in her subconscious.

"Damon." She whispered his name so quietly that she almost wasn't sure that she even said it aloud. As soon as the sound exited her lips, her movements froze. Seriously Elena? Damon? She couldn't even believe that she had thought of him while she was touching herself. It felt dirty and wrong. But as she kept thinking about it, it also, in a way, felt _so damn right._

She couldn't believe she was doing this, but she still wasn't satisfied. Her core resumed its needy throbbing with double the force. She hoped that it was because she was close to cumming and not because she was thinking of Damon. She sighed, resigned, and went back to sliding her fingers across her clit.

xXx

Damon's mind was reeling. Elena just said his name. No, she didn't say his name; she _moaned_ his name. While she was masturbating. His vision blurred with desire. Never before had he wanted someone this badly and not been able to have her. He wasn't thinking straight. He couldn't think straight. How could he, when the one thing he desired was so clearly desiring him back in secret? He felt his feet crossing the yard without fully realizing what he was doing. Effortlessly, he jumped up to grasp her windowsill and hoisted himself over the edge without so much as the creak of a board. The sight before him almost brought him to his knees.

Elena was laying sprawled out on her bed, legs spread wide, and eyes closed tightly shut. His eyes roamed from her silky hair that was strewn across her pillow to those long, beautiful eyelashes that hid him from her view. He was drinking in every inch of her appearance. She was so vulnerable. So beautiful. So _fucking_ sexy. He continued his gaze down her body from her slightly parted lips here soft gasps were escaping, to her chest, only covered by a thin tank top. Her chest was heaving up and down with each breath, and her nipples were hard beneath the cloth of her shirt. He wanted- no _needed-_ to tear it off and free them. His fingers twitched and he balled his hands into fists to try and gain some self-control. One wrong move here destroys any chance of him having her. He looked down to her fingers moving deftly beneath the cover of lacy black panties. He took a deep breath through the nose and could smell her arousal, strong and heavy. Her scent filled the room, and he couldn't take it anymore. He was never one for thinking before acting. He was impulsive. Waiting this long was more control than he thought he was ever capable of showing, but his patience was wearing thin.

"Elena" he whispered, surprised at how husky and filled with need his usually cool, controlled voice was.

xXx

Elena froze for the second time that night and snapped her head up from her pillow. She thought that she had heard someone whisper her name. Not just anyone either. The exact someone who was running thorough her mind just moments before. She thought her mind was just playing tricks on her, but to her horror and slight excitement, she looked up and met none other than Damon's sparkling blue eyes. He was standing right in front of her window. He had undoubtedly just jumped in.

"Damon!" She shrieked, ripping her hand out of her panties and scrambling to sit up. "What are you doing here? Get out!"

Damon didn't move an inch or say anything in reply. Elena took a second to look at him. His usual calm, laid back demeanor was not present tonight. His smoldering eyes were locked on hers as if he was trying to search for words to say. His hands were clenched into fists, and for a moment she was worried that he was angry about something. However, that worry vanished when her eyes travelled a few inches down and saw his hard dick pushing against the fabric of his dark jeans. She felt the blood rush to her face and struggled to keep her breathing quiet. This was not happening. Damon Salvatore did not just catch her masturbating.

"How um… how long have you been there?" She asked quietly, face burning even hotter. Her usual defiance that she had with him was gone.

"I was down there for a little while," he replied, finally breaking out of his trance and pointing down to Elena's yard. "But don't worry, I just got up here a few seconds ago."

Elena had absolutely no idea what to do or say. She desperately wanted for him to stop looking at her the way that he was. Or did she? Her cheeks would not stop burning, and her embarrassment kept rising like hot lava inside of her as she realized what Damon had witnessed.

"Damon, I don't know what you think you heard but—" she started, but before she could finish her statement, Damon silenced her by siding over to her bedside and standing directly in front of her. Her face was right in line with his crotch, and she could almost feel the gravitational pull she had towards it. _No, Elena! What in God's name are you thinking?_ She had let her need for sex go way too far. There was no way that she was letting her desire for pleasure make her unfaithful to Stefan. She gulped and moved her eyes from his crotch up his body, finally resting on his mouth. She could not look him in the eyes. She was embarrassed and slightly frightened and completely overwhelmed by the smoldering look he was giving her.

"I know what I heard," he said. "And don't try to tell me otherwise." He tapped on his ears to signify that his vampire hearing would not cause him to mishear the name in her moans. Elena gulped again and looked up to meet his eyes. Her knees instantly weakened and she could feel her core throbbing once more. She knew that she should not have given into the desire to look in those eyes. Those eyes that burned holes in her clothes and looked deep in her soul. Those eyes that held so much pain and passion and pure, raw need. "Elena, I…" He started and stopped again. She was thankful that she was not the only one who was at a loss for words. "I want you. I _need_ you."

"Damon, we can't—"

"And before you shut me down, I want you to know that I don't care. I don't care that we can't. I don't care that you're with my brother. I want you, and I know you want me back." Elena was frozen. She wanted to deny these allegations and defend herself and Stefan, but how could she when Damon just heard her moaning his name and watched her finger herself while thinking of him? Damon took her moment of silence as an agreement and kept going. "If you were with me, you would never have to touch yourself." He sat down on the bed beside her and Elena slid away, pressing her back against the headboard. Damon was sitting on the edge of the mattress, with a hand placed between her calves and gripping her comforter for balance. He leaned closer and added, "even though I know you're completely capable of pleasuring yourself." His bright eyes seemed to darken 3 shades with lust, and Elena felt the hot blood rush to her cheeks again. She could not believe this. Someone just walked in on her masturbating. She couldn't even imagine the embarrassment of it being Jeremy or Aunt Jenna, who would have ran out as soon as they realized what they accidentally walked in on. But _Damon? Damon Salvatore?_ She felt like she could die. Him being in her room right now was no accident. He watched her. He liked it. There was something so taboo and erotic about the thought that it almost masked her embarrassment.

"Don't be embarrassed," he swooned, almost as if he were reading her thoughts. "Do you trust me?"

Elena stared at him, unsure of how to respond. Of course she trusted him, but in what sense was he asking? Does she trust him to not tell Stefan about what he saw and heard tonight? Does she trust him to not embarrass her?

"Elena," Damon's soft, sexy voice drew her eyes up to his again. "Do you trust me?"

"Yes," she replied breathlessly. "I trust you."

xXx

That was all Damon needed to hear.

He reached up and grabbed her vervain necklace, ripping it off her neck with one swift movement. He could see the panic on Elena's face as her eyes widened and she grabbed her now empty throat.

"Why did you do that?" She shrieked. Damon put his finger to his lips to shush her and held the necklace just out of her reach. "Damon, give me that back right no—" He clapped his hand over her mouth to silence her and pointed to the hall. He had heard the footsteps coming down the hall toward Elena's room long before she had. The doorknob turned, and he flew to the other side of the room where the dark bathroom would hide his presence.

Jenna opened the door cautiously and peeked around the corner at Elena. Elena obviously looked disheveled. Her cheeks were still flushed deep pink and she was breathing abnormally. She stared at Jenna and tried to force a smile and a laugh.

"Is everything okay? I thought I heard you shout in here." She said. Poor Jenna, Damon thought. She was obviously such a great, concerned guardian, but all Damon wanted to do was slam the door in her face and lock it. She interrupted them, and he was worried that at any second now, Elena would snap out of this fantasy like version back to her usual self and push him away.

"Yeah, I think I must've just had a bad dream because I just woke up," she replied. "I'm so sorry for waking you up."

"Oh, that's okay. I was actually awake. I um… have a friend over and we are just downstairs watching a movie." Jenna fumbled over her words and smiled timidly at Elena.

Elena raised an eyebrow at her and smiled back. "Oh really? Well okay, have a good time. I think I'm going to hop in the shower before I try to sleep again." Elena stood up and took a few steps toward Damon and the bathroom. Jenna nodded and smiled again before closing her door and scurrying back down the steps.

Damon turned on the show faucet for her as she stomped into the bathroom. She grabbed around his body for the necklace held tightly in his fist while he held her back effortlessly with one arm.

"Damon," she hissed. "Give me back my necklace. Whatever you are planning on doing can—"

Damon silenced her protests by pressing his lips firmly to hers. He felt those firework-like explosions go off behind his eyes as they always do when he kisses her. He was delighted when she did not pull away. He pulled back and waited for a slap or for her to yell, but she said nothing. He leaned back down to kiss her again, slowly this time. Their lips molded together into a blur of passion. They kissed shortly, but it felt like hours. And it felt so, so right. Damon's free hand wound around Elena's waist and pulled her closer to him. Elena was the one to pull back this time, gasping for air.

"I took this because I need your honesty," Damon said, searching her eyes to try and read her expression. "I need to ask you something before anything starts here, and I know you're not going to give me a straight answer unless I compel you."

Elena audibly gulped but didn't resist. Damon cupped her face in his hand and made direct eye contact with her beautiful, doe-like eyes.

"Elena Gilbert, do you want me? Do you want me to do this?" He asked, pupils dilating as he activated his compulsion.

"Yes," Elena answered quickly. "Do what, exactly?" She asked then, when she could think freely from the compulsion.

Damon licked his lips and leaned down so that he could whisper directly in her ear. "I'm going to give you the most pleasurable night of your life. It's going to be all about you and making you feel things you've never felt before. If that's something that you want." He could feel her whole body quiver with excitement beside him. "You should never be denied what you need, Elena. And if my fool of a brother can't provide, then I want to prove to you that I will."

"Yes, I do want that," Elena breathed, and they were both surprised to realize that she said this on her own without him having to pull the truth from her mind.

"I'm going to leave the necklace off, and then once tonight is over, I can compel you to forget that this happened if you wish." Damon felt a surge of sadness go through his body at this offer. He didn't want her to forget what he was about to make her feel. He didn't want her to forget this moment where they both surrendered to the passion between them.

"Damon," she said softly. He looked up from the ground and met her gaze. "I'm not going to want to forget."

Damon's heart swelled. This is all he has ever wanted- for Elena to want him. He was not going to disappoint her. He was going to give her the best fucking night of her life.

xXx

The soft, vulnerableness in Damon's eyes evaporated as soon as Elena finished speaking. It was replaced by smoldering passion and lust. Elena felt her knees go weak again as Damon threw her necklace on the ground and twisted both of his hands into her hair. Their lips locked and battled for dominance as he pushed Elena up against the steamy glass of the shower door. She moaned into his mouth as he pressed his stone-hard body up against hers. She could feel every inch of him against her soft, exposed skin, and she wanted more. She pushed him away and ripped his black v-neck over his head. He lifted his arms in compliance and tossed it to the floor with the forgotten necklace. The sight of Damon's naked chest was enough to bring any woman to tears. Perfectly chiseled abs that glistened with a light sheen of sweat built up from the sexual tension greeted Elena's eyes, and her hands reached out to touch him. He let her hands roam over his pectorals and up and down his arms. His muscles rippled beneath her touch, and her mouth started watering. She leaned forward to place a light kiss at the nape of his neck, and she could hear his breath catch in his throat. She kissed all up and down his chest, and then fell to her knees to kiss down the perfectly sculpted trail of hair leading to his throbbing cock, which she had felt pressed against her stomach this whole time. Somewhere, back in the deep recesses of her mind, her conscious was screaming. What was she doing? This was so wrong. Luckily, every fiber of her being that yearned for his affection overrode her conscious, and she continued kissing him. She needed this. She wanted him. This was _right._

With a shriek of surprise, Elena was swept off the ground and thrown over Damon's shoulder.

"I thought I told you that tonight was supposed to be all about you," he purred. She dug her nails into his muscular back, and he tossed her down on her bed.

"But I want to," she protested, try to reach for the zipper on his pants.

"You," he growled, grabbing both wrists with one hand and pinning them above her head, "have no idea what you want. I'm going to show you."

Elena's eyes widened with lust and Damon swooped down on her chest, still pinning her wrists so that she could not move her arms. He bit the flimsy fabric of her tank top and ripped it off her body with one swift movement. The pieces drifted to the floor, and Damon pulled back to admire her exposed chest. Elena suddenly felt the need to have her hands back so that she could cover herself from his stare, but when she looked at the expression on his face, she didn't feel self-conscious anymore.

"God you're perfect," he mumbled, as he continued to stare. He moved his eyes to hers and he began to use his free hand to knead her tender breasts. She groaned with pleasure, so happy for this sexy man that she has secretly lusted for to be touching her. She gasped as Damon took the nipple of her other breast in his mouth and started rolling his tongue around it. She closed her eyes and threw her head back. She had always enjoyed foreplay, but foreplay had never felt this good before. Elena could feel her clit throbbing, begging to be touched as Damon created a pool of pleasure in her stomach with his mouth. He released her hands and grabbed her hips as he continued to bite and suck on her nipple. The pleasure continued to build and her moaning grew louder. _Oh my god,_ she thought, _am I seriously about to have an orgasm when he hasn't even really touched me yet?_ Never in a million years would Elena have guessed that this much pleasure out of such a small act was possible. She felt herself nearing the edge, and she arched her back and pressed her nipple more firmly into his mouth. He gave one more gentle bite and removed his mouth from her breast. She groaned and tried to push his head back down, but he would not budge.

He grabbed her face again, this time a little harder than the first time that he cupped her face to compel her, and said, "you're not going to cum until I say you can." For a second she thought he was just talking dirty to her. However, when his pupils undilated and went back to normal, she realized that he compelled her.

She gasped and looked at him with wide eyes. Could her body really resist an orgasm when he was making her feel so good? How strong was his compulsion? He smirked at her reaction and leaned back down to kiss her neck and collarbone.

"I want you to feel as much pleasure as possible. And you can't do that if you finish too early on me."

Elena felt her already soaked panties collect even more liquid as the hot juices of arousal left her core. "I don't… I don't think I can do that. I can't resist it if it happens," she said.

Damon smirked at her again and mumbled into her collarbone between kisses, "you won't have to resist. Just relax and enjoy Elena."

He gently laid her back against her pillow and got off the bed. Elena watched him as he sauntered over to her bedside table. He leaned over it, searching for something, and Elena was suddenly aware of just how close his crotch was to her face. She knew he wasn't going to let her touch him yet, but she just had to. It was like she had no control of her hands. Her fingers flew up to grasp the tight bulge in his jeans and his neck snapped down to look at her. She trailed her fingers up and down the length, but she couldn't do much with the constricting jean fabric. She sat up and wrapped her legs around his.

"Just let me get one taste," she whispered as she unfastened the button of his jeans. She knew how determined he was to only pleasure her tonight, but she also knew that the feel of her hands near his hard cock was too tempting to resist. She yanked down both his jeans and his boxers before he could stop her, and she audibly gasped as she came face to face with his member. It was so long and thick that Elena wondered if it would all be able to fit inside her. It definitely couldn't fit inside her mouth. It looked like he was sculpted by the gods. She slowly reached a hand up to grasp the base of his shaft. Damon moaned and stood there helplessly while she teased him by almost putting her lips on the head of his cock but pulling away at the last second. Damon was trembling.

Elena gasped as he suddenly reached a hand down to wrap around her neck. He pulled her up into the standing position and grabbed her ass in a grip so tight that she was sure it would bruise with his free hand. He didn't do either movement enough to hurt her, but she felt a little sting of pain followed by move waves of desire and pleasure. How could a creature so strong and sensual be so aware of exactly how much pressure to use on her fragile body, she thought with wonder. He said with gritted teeth, "Elena Gilbert, I am going to be the one doing the teasing tonight." He gave her neck one good squeeze and tossed her back down onto the bed.

Elena was not having it. Before he could even react, she had launched herself at him and taken as much of his rock-hard dick into her mouth as she could fit. He gasped and moaned so loudly that she was sure Aunt Jenna would be upstairs any second, but this did not stop Elena. She began bobbing her head and swirling her tongue around the head of his cock while it was still in her mouth. Damon gazed down at her with amazement as she reached down between her own legs, wet her hands with her cum, and placed them on the remaining part of his shaft that would not fit into her mouth. She gagged with the effort of trying to fit even half of his dick in her mouth. She kept twisting her hands around his shaft and sucking his dick until she needed to come up for air. She then lightly grasped his balls and slowly trailed her tongue up the entire length of his shaft, stopping at the head to give it one good flick with her tongue.

Damon let out an inhuman growl and grabbed Elena's shoulders. Once again, he tossed her back on the bed face down. This time, he straddled her quickly before she could get up again. Elena felt Damon's cock, swelled even bigger than before if even possible, pressing hard into the small of her back. Her mouth watered as she thought of what that cock might feel like inside of her. She tried to turn her head to see what he was doing, but he had her body pinned so that she could not see behind her. She felt his hands reaching for something on the nightstand next to her and jumped, startled, when he placed something over her eyes. She recognized the pattern as her scarf that she had been wearing earlier today.

"You shouldn't have done that," Damon said seductively. He looped the fabric of the scarf around her head again so that her vision turned black and she couldn't see.

"I'm sorry," she moaned. "I just wanted you to feel a fraction of the pleasure you're giving me."

"I told you already, this night is about you and satisfying your needs. I'm not going to tell you again." With that statement, he climbed off of Elena and got off the bed. Elena listened carefully, trying to track his movements, but she could only hear the sound of her own heart beating. Suddenly, she felt his finger tips brush over the bottom of her left calf. She gasped with the sudden sensation, and he moved away again. The next time he touched her, it was with his tongue. He licked and sucked and nibbled on her shoulder, eliciting another gasp from Elena. Not being able to see heightened her sense of touch so much more. She felt like she was on sensory overload. Everywhere Damon touched felt like her skin was burning with sweet pleasure.

Damon placed his hand on her calves to steady them and guided her thighs to move up so that her weight was placed on her knees. She was still face down on the pillow, but her ass was now up in the air. He massaged her glutes, and Elena moaned at his closeness to her center. She was throbbing and radiating heat, and she wanted him to touch her so badly that she could have cried. Damon's rubbing stopped suddenly, and his body moved away from hers a few inches.

"This is for not listening," he growled, and slapped Elena across the ass with a force so hard that the thought she might fly forward and hit the head board. It hurt, but it was that sexual pleasure-pain that made you weak and wanting more. Elena yelped with the impact, but before she had time to react to the slap, Damon slipped two fingers inside of her core. Overcome with the pleasure of him finally touching her and the surprise of the sudden pain and pleasure combination, Elena called out his name loudly. He pumped his fingers in and out of her soaked core, twisting and bending his fingers as they moved inside of her while she continued to whimper his name. He pushed his fingers even deeper inside of her, and she felt a wave of undescribable pleasure wash over her. She wanted to cry out his name again but she couldn't even form words. Waves of pleasure wracked her body, and her legs began to shake. She knew that if Damon hadn't compelled her, she would have came at least twice by now. The feeling of constantly being on the edge of an orgasm was almost too much pleasure to bear.

Damon let out a heady moan as he watched her body convulse below him. Her legs collapsed and she fell flat on the bed, gasping for air.

"What did you just do to me?" She panted, ripping off the blindfold.

"I'm guessing you've never experienced someone hitting your G-spot before," he said, sticking one of his soaked fingers in his mouth and lapping off Elena's juices. The sight made her feel her core begin to throb again. _Oh god, again? How am I still wanting more after that?_ She thought incredulously. Damon looked down at her body, still shaking, and offered her his other finger. She grabbed his hand and stuck his finger in her wet mouth. She tasted herself on his hand and felt like an erotic goddess. Stefan never made her feel like his. Sure being with him felt good, but never like this. This was indescribable. This was dirty, sexy, and pure lust. Damon watched her as she sucked on his finger, his eyelids growing heavy with need.

Elena wanted so badly to touch him again, but before she even got the chance, he gently pushed her back down on the bed so that she was laying down flat on her back. Damon slunk up the bed and rested his face between her legs. His arms wrapped around the back of her thighs and his hands rested on her stomach.

She thoroughly enjoyed everything he had done to her so far, but her clit was screaming for attention. It throbbed with need and desire as she watch his head dip down between her legs. He dragged his lips up her folds, barely touching. She bucked her hips, silently begging him to give her what she wanted. Without breaking eye contact, Damon gave in. He pressed his tongue between her folds and lightly flicked her swollen clit. Elena let out a yelp of pleasure. Damon proceeded to bury his face between her legs, licking up and down. At the bottom, he would stop his trail to dip his tongue into her core which was already soaked again. He continued up and swirled his tongue around her clit in circles, and she tossed her head back with pure ecstasy.

"Oh god… fuck… Damon," she moaned. She couldn't get anything out besides these fractions of sentences. Damon was good with his hands, but he was a master with his tongue. He applied pressure and then just let his mouth move loosely, alternating the ways he was moving with each new moan elicited from Elena. Elena could feel the pressure of the building pressure that had still not been released building up again. Her eyes rolled back, and she buried her hands into Damon's hair. "Damon, I need to cum. I can't take this any more." She whimpered. Her whole body was shaking with new waves of pleasure and her breathing was shallow. She felt him smile against her folds, and he surfaced from between her legs. The lower half of his face was soaked with her juices, and she bit her lip and his look intensified.

Damon ducked back down between her legs, moving his tongue at twice the speed that he did before while simultaneously plunging three fingers into Elena. She cried out his name for what must be the hundredth time that night and arched her back. The combination of his fingers deftly pounding into her and hitting her G-spot while his wet, warm tongue lapped around her clit was too much for her to bear. She was screaming his name now, so loudly that there was no way the entire neighborhood didn't hear it. Damon looked up at her with his pupils dilated and said the words that she finally needed to hear: "You can come now Elena."

All at once, all that pleasure that he had been building up inside of her came crashing down on her. Her vision blurred and she screamed with the erotic feeling. Damon didn't slow his pace at all as he felt her walls clamp down around his fingers. Hot juices flowed out of her and spread across her bed. This was the most intense pleasure she had ever felt in her life. She didn't even know that feeling this good was possible. She clutched onto his chiseled body as she rode out her orgasm, and he gripped her hands with his. As she finally began to come down from her high, Damon slowed his pace. He removed his fingers from her core and gave her clit once last flick with his tongue. Elena's body quivered and quaked and she stared up at the ceiling, still seeing stars. Damon moved up to lie next to her on the bed, and after a moment she turned to look at him.

"Damon… that was… _incredible,"_ she breathed, reaching out to touch his face.

He smirked and drew her close against his body. "I told you I was going to give you pleasure like you never felt before, and I meant it Elena. You deserve only the best."

At that moment, her senses came crashing back down on her. Jenna is downstairs and probably heard her screaming Damon's name like a mad person. Who knows when Stefan is going to show up here. She looked at Damon with wide eyes, and he seemed to know what she was thinking yet again.

"I'll take care of the collateral damage. Jenna will be compelled to forgot all the earth-shattering moaning she just heard coming from you." Elena blushed and looked down at Damon's chest. He picked her chin back up for her to meet his eyes again. "I hope you enjoyed yourself tonight," he whispered. Elena could still feel his hard dick pressed against her.

"We aren't going to have sex?" She said confusedly.

"As much as I would love to bend you over this bed and fuck you right now, I don't think you can take any more. And it's almost morning." Damon's eyes darkened with lust again, but he blinked it away. He stood up and walked to the bathroom, grabbing his clothes and Elena's necklace off the floor. "The offer is still up for me to compel this memory away so you don't feel guilty. Think about it and let me know tomorrow." He fastened her vervain necklace around her neck and looked around. "Well I have a 'birthday party' that I was supposed to attend about 4 hours ago so if you'll excuse me."

Elena desperately wanted him to stay, but she knew he couldn't. She also couldn't let him know that she wanted him to stay- he might take it as more than lust. Was this more than lust? She wasn't sure at this point. The only thing she knew is that she was exhausted, satisfied, and most definitely going to have sex with Damon Salvatore sometime soon.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you so much for your support with this story and an even bigger thank you to those who left reviews! I have decided to continue it instead of leaving it as a one shot. Please keep reviewing and tell me what you think! I love reading your responses and really take your suggestions to heart. Enjoy this chapter! I know a lot of people are only here for the lemons so even though I'm developing the plot a little more, I'll try to throw some hot stuff in there as well! Thanks again for reading, and please take the time to review after with feedback or suggestions :)**

Elena woke to a soft knock on her door. Her eyes drifted open reluctantly and she reached for her phone on her night stand. It read 7:43, and she threw herself out of bed.

"Elena?" Aunt Jenna's voice came through the door. "Are you going to school today sweetie? Stefan is outside waiting for you!"

"Yeah I'm coming, my alarm didn't go off. Please tell him I'll be right out," she yelled, running around her room like a maniac. _School,_ she thought. _I should have been getting ready for school an hour ago. I have to go outside. Stefan is waiting. Stefan…_

Elena's face drained of color as the memories of last night came flooding back. She was so groggy and startled by being woken up that she didn't even think of what had taken place in her bedroom. She couldn't face Stefan. How could she even look him in the face when his brother's hands had been all over her last night? She ran to the mirror and groaned. Her hair was tangled in sweaty knots, her lips were still slightly swollen, and her eyes were bloodshot and sunken in due to lack of sleep.

"Christ," she muttered as she threw her matted mess of hair into a bun on top of her head. She yanked a few pieces down to frame her face as she peered out her window. Stefan was leaning against his car, fiddling with something in his fingers that she couldn't see. She pulled back out of sight quickly as he glanced up at the still open window. Elena gulped audibly and her hands began to shake. She felt guilt wash over her. Did he know? Did Damon ever show up at the grill last night, and if he did, what did he let on? She applied a touch of makeup to her pale face and tried to add some color to her cheeks to make her appear less panic stricken. Thankful that she had laid an outfit out last night before Damon arrived for the day ahead, she threw on her clothes and ran down the hall.

"Your backpack is on the table," Jenna called from the kitchen. Elena entered and saw a nice plate of toast and eggs waiting beside her backpack. Jenna turned around and smiled at her.

"Since when are you up this early?" Elena asked skeptically.

"Since I had a great night last night, of course," Jenna replied. Elena's blood ran cold again and she silently prayed that Damon had actually compelled her to forget the loud, dirty sounds that she undoubtedly heard from the bedroom.

"What exactly was so special about last night?" Elena asked timidly, picking up her fork and stabbing at the eggs.

"Oh, I didn't tell you? I could have sworn that I let you know last night…" Jenna placed a hand on her forehead as if she was thinking about something that escaped her.

"Oh wait, you did," Elena said quickly. She wasn't sure about how much Damon had made her forget, but she didn't want Jenna to do any digging around in her memory that might bring up some questions. "Sorry, I forgot. You came up because I had a bad dream and told me that you had someone over."

"Oh, yes! That's right. Well, an old friend from college and I met up for dinner. Then we came back here, watched a movie, drank some wine, and had really great sex on the couch!" Jenna clapped her hand over her mouth and looked at Elena with wide eyes. "Um… I really don't know why I said that last part. I'm so sorry." She laughed uncomfortably and turned back to her own eggs cooking on the stove. Elena laughed along with her, but her laugh was relieved instead of uncomfortable. She knew why Jenna had said that. That must've been the exact string of events that Damon had made Jenna remember as her night.

"I'd better go, Stefan has been waiting on me for a while," Elena said, standing up from the table and grabbing her backpack. "Thanks for breakfast, and I'm really glad you had a good time last night. I think you sometimes forget that you're allowed to live a little, too." The two smiled at each other as Elena walked out of the kitchen. She took a deep breath before opening the front door and locking eyes with Stefan.

Elena froze with her hand on the doorknob as he looked at her. He gave no sign of his emotions and her breathing sped up. She approached his car with short, timid steps, trying to gauge the look in his eyes. Relief washed over her as his cold face broke into a small smile. He wouldn't be smiling if he knew his brothers dick was in her mouth last night. Right? The thought made her feel ill. She forced a smile back at him while her mind was racing.

"Good morning Elena," he murmured, reaching out his hand to grasp hers. His fingers squeezed affectionately and leaned down to give her a soft kiss. She kissed him back, and her mind screamed with guilt. She could feel the color rushing to her cheeks as the kiss triggered the memory of Damon's passionate lips on hers. He pulled back and gave her a questioning look at her nervous appearance.

"Sorry. I just… don't want to be too intimate in case Aunt Jenna is watching us leave," she breathed. Stefan shook his head and chuckled.

"You're absolutely right. I'm sorry. Here—" He held out his closed palm above Elena's hand. In her palm, he dropped a beautiful gold necklace with a small, heart-shaped locket hanging from the bottom.

"Oh Stefan, thank you. This is beautiful." She turned the locket over in her hands and reached for the clasp to open it.

"There's not a picture inside," Stefan said, stopping her fingers with his hand. "It's filled with vervain. Caroline and I were talking about your necklace last night and she said that she couldn't believe that you wore it all the time because sometimes it doesn't match since it's silver." He laughed and shook his head. "I'm sorry that I wasn't thinking about your fashion choices when I gave it to you for protection." He reached out and lightly touched the necklace hanging around her neck. Color flushed her cheeks again as she remembered Damon's hands reaching the same way last night, but to rip it off instead of gently touch it.

"Do you want to skip school today? I promised you a day together and we can hardly do anything fun with other people around," Stefan said. He linked his fingers in her belt loops and pulled her waist close to his. Elena's breath caught in her throat with surprise as he placed a soft kiss on her exposed collarbone. Normally, this would make her go crazy with desire. Today, however, it made her feel queasy. How could she stand here and let this man touch her while the memory of her hands on another's body danced behind her eyes?

She pulled back and tried to smile at him again. "While I love that offer, I have to go to class. I have a presentation today." Guilt flared up in her mind again. She didn't have a presentation. She just couldn't stand the idea of being alone with Stefan when this guilt was making her head spin.

He looked disappointed for a second, but then his expression quickly changed to something warmer. "I understand, that's fine. So what are we going to do after? We could get ice cream at that little spot near Whitmore that you really like. Or we could do the carnival. Movies? I know you wanted to see that new romantic comedy and since this is your day, I'll give in just this once." Stefan's eyes sparkled with excitement, and Elena's eyes glistened with tears. She couldn't stand this. Here, the love of her life was using all the little things he knew about her to try and give her a fun day. Was he the love of her life? _Of course he is,_ her mind snapped at the intruding thought. Even as she told herself this, she wondered how she could have been with another man if she really did feel this way about Stefan. She had to tell him what happened. No. There's no way she could tell him. How would she even begin? He definitely would never speak to her again.

"Elena? What's wrong?" Stephan asked, concern lacing his voice. Elena's face was getting red and splotchy and the tears were visible now. She was so stricken with shame and grief that she could barely even make up a lie to cover the traitor tears.

"I'm… I don't know why I'm crying, Stefan. I feel ridiculous. Jenna and I were talking about my mom this morning and she's just on my mind I guess." The sound of the lie escaping her lips only made the tears flow harder. They spilled down her cheeks and splashed on the pavement at her feet.

Stefan put his arms around her and whispered sounds of comfort into her ear while he stroked her hair. Elena knew that she had to get away from him and get to school. She had to come up with a plan on what to do about this whole situation, Damon included. When her mind was swimming with guilt, there was no way that she could come to any conclusions.

"Let's go to school," Elena sniffed, wiping tears off her face. She smiled encouragingly. "I'd like to get my mind off of it." Stefan nodded as he opened the car door for her. She slid into the leather seats and breathed in the comforting smell of his Karmann Coupe, desperately trying to calm down and get ahold of herself. If she was going to keep her secret for now, she had to stop getting so upset every time she looked at Stefan. The car bounced slightly as Stefan got into the driver's seat. He grabbed Elena's hand and they drove to school in silence. Stefan probably thought that her silence was due to her being lost in thought with the memory of her parents, but her thoughts were actually swirling between Damon's ice blue eyes and Stefan's deep brown ones. She felt like they were battling for dominance even in her own brain, and it was making her dizzy. She closed her eyes and succumbed her mind to her wild thoughts, praying for a solution to pop up with them.

* * *

"Elena… you _what?"_ Bonnie cried in disbelief.

"Shh!" Elena exclaimed. The pair were sitting outside on the bleachers by the football field during lunch. After contemplating her situation during the entire length of her first four periods of class, Elena realized that she needed someone else's perspective. Bonnie was the only viable option. Caroline's big mouth would never be able to keep a secret like this, no matter how hard she tried. Matt wouldn't understand, and she especially didn't like talking about relationship stuff with him since she broke his heart last year. She was afraid to tell Bonnie, but she knew deep down that Bonnie was her best friend and would be there for her no matter what, even if she didn't support her decision.

"I don't even know how it happened Bonnie. I was so frustrated because Stefan wouldn't come over, and Damon was just there like he was reading my mind. It was a total moment of weakness. He started doing things to me that I have _never_ experienced and it was like I was in a trance. I couldn't stop it. I didn't even want to. I didn't even think about Stefan the whole time. Not once. And god now I can't stop thinking about Damon either. What is wrong with me? Please tell me that something is totally wrong with me. I'm a terrible person." Her words were coming out in an unstoppable string and she had to stop for air.

"You're not a terrible person, you just made a terrible decision," Bonnie said. "Why did you try to fight me so much when I said that you had feelings for Damon? If you would have come to terms with it in the first place, maybe last night wouldn't have happened. I feel like everything you held back for him just exploded at that moment, and of course you couldn't say no to that." Elena shrugged and dropped her face to the ground. Bonnie had a point. "Elena, you know that if you ever want Stefan to not kill his brother, or you, or even himself, you can't tell him, right?"

"I know. But how am I supposed to just pretend like I'm a great girlfriend and nothing happened? God, I pretty much bawl every time I look at him because I'm so guilty."

"I don't know. You've really gotten yourself into a horrible situation."

"I feel like Katherine," Elena cried, banging her forehead into the bleacher railing. "Why is this happening?"

"You are _not_ Katherine. You may be in a similar circumstance to hers, but that does not make you her. The fact that you have all this remorse shows it. She strung them both along and didn't even care." Bonnie sighed and put her hand on Elena's knee. "Listen, you know that I'm not the biggest fan of Damon. But I know the way he feels about you. And even before this happened, I knew about the way you secretly felt about him too. Before you even knew it yourself, I think. He would die for you." She bit her lip and continued. "But so would Stefan. If I were you, I would try to spend time with them both. Alone. You need to realize your true feelings. Damon feels dangerous and fun, and Stefan feels caring and safe. It's kind of hard to compare those two types of people. I'm not condoning cheating, but I want you to be happy. Choosing one of them right now is going to leave you sad and unsure. You need to figure this out more."

Elena was lost in thought with Bonnie's suggestion. It did seem very rational, but how was she ever going to spend time with both of them alone without Stefan finding out about Damon, or Damon getting jealous of Stefan and doing something drastic? And this wasn't even considering the guilt she felt.

"If this is going to work, I'm going to have to pull it together and stop acting so weird and guilty," Elena said slowly.

"You have to change your mindset about it. They both love you, Elena. And you have feelings for both of them. It's not like you slept with a random guy to hurt Stefan or to only please yourself. Stop feeling like you hurt Stefan, and start feeling like you're giving Damon a chance."

Elena threw her arms around Bonnie and squeezed tightly. "Thank you Bonnie, for everything. No other person in the world would deal with all of this like you do."

"Elena Gilbert, we both have some pretty messed up lives. You having boy troubles is one of the most normal things that we have ever had to deal with."

They both laughed and walked back toward the school hand in hand. Bonnie's support gave Elena confidence and strength that was nowhere in sight this morning. She knew that she would have to make a choice, but her choice had to be educated. Hurting Stefan was the last thing on earth that she wanted to do, but the thought of hurting Damon made her chest ache too. She was going to spend the rest of the day with Stefan and push all thoughts of Damon out of her head. It was the only way.

* * *

Elena clapped with glee as Stefan handed her an oversized bear from the prize booth. They had chosen the carnival for their day together, and Stefan had just won the dart toss. Of course, his vampire strength had caused him to pop not only one balloon, but the entire cluster surrounding the impact of his dart as well. The carnival worker looked shocked and said that he could pick whatever size of prize he wanted.

"You know, if I didn't know that you were a vampire that would have really impressed me. Those games are so rigged that you can barely ever pop _one."_ Elena continued giggling and put the bear on her shoulders. "This thing is huge!"

"Only the best cheaply-made, popcorn-smelling toy for you, my love," Stefan said, rolling his eyes and grinning. He leaned down to kiss Elena, and their lips locked in a show of passion. Several passing families cleared their throats with disapproval while their children giggled, and Elena pulled back from him.

She blushed and grabbed Stefan's hand. "I keep forgetting that I am a founding family member and must be upheld to the highest standards of snobbery at all times. Apparently, PDA is only okay for the common folk."

Stefan snorted and pulled her towards the ferris wheel. "I feel like public displays of affection would be the least of their worries if they knew the man you are fraternizing with is a bloodsucking monster."

Elena smacked his arm and said, "Don't talk like that. I love you."

"And I love you too." Stefan's eyes filled with awe as he stared down at Elena and her heart fluttered. Damon may make her feel things deep inside, but Stefan did too. Different sorts of things. Stefan's love was pure and kind. It made her feel happy and light-headed. "You are the greatest thing that has ever happened to me, Elena. I don't deserve you." The throbbing guilt threatened to push its way into Elena's head again, but she blinked hard and forced it out.

"No, I don't deserve you." They stared into each other's eyes as the ride attendant tried to get their attention. Stefan snapped out of the loving haze first, handing the man their tickets and leading Elena onto the swinging cart. They both sat down and the ride lurched forward.

A chilly breeze cut through the warm beginning of autumn air, and Elena scooted closer to Stefan. He wrapped one arm around her shoulder and placed the other one in her lap, his hand resting on her inner thigh. The sky was just beginning to darken and all of the lights of the carnival began to flicker on. Elena gasped in wonder and leaned forward to look at the beautiful scene.

"I remember our first time on this exact ferris wheel," Elena said, leaning back into Stefan's warm embrace.

"As do I. I try to forget the horrible day that came before that memory though." He sighed and ran his hand through his hair before placing it back on Elena's thigh. "I never want to disappoint you, Elena. I feel as though darkness and death follow me everywhere I go, and I don't want that to be a part of your life."

"Hey, you seem to be forgetting that death and darkness were already a part of my life before you came into the picture. I love you, and I love _all_ of you. Not just the good parts. I signed up for this life when I fell in love with you, and I would not trade a second of it."

Stefan's gaze was filled with emotion as Elena craned her neck to place a kiss on his cheek. The ferris wheel lulled to a stop, and they were seated at the very top, far away from the prying eyes of the citizens of Mystic Falls. Stefan leaned down to return her kiss but placed his lips on her forehead instead. He kissed down the bridge of her nose before crushing his lips into her own. The kiss was laced with sincere love, but as their lips continued to move together, the kiss turned into something more passionate.

Elena squealed with surprise as Stefan lifted her to straddle his lap with one swift motion. The car of the ferris wheel jerked with the movement, and Elena dug her nails into his shoulders.

"I won't let you fall," Stefan whispered into her ear, sending shivers down her spine. He cupped her face with his hands and began to kiss her again. Their lips connected and sparks flew behind Elena's eyes. Stefan's tongue ran along her bottom lip, asking for entrance. Elena obliged and opened her mouth. She moaned at the feeling of Stefan's tongue entering her mouth and sweeping across her own, and she could feel a bulge grow in his pants and press against her groin at the sound of her moan. Their tongues danced in her mouth, and Stefan reached down to place a hand on her waist, pulling her closer to his body.

"I'm sorry that I haven't given you what you need lately. I hope you know that you are the most exquisitely beautiful, sexy woman that I have ever seen, and any chance I get to be with you is a chance that I never want to turn down." Stefan's sweet words made Elena blush, and she felt wetness begin to drip into her panties. "Do you want to get out of here?" Elena nodded breathlessly, and Stefan leaned down to place hard kisses on her neck.

The ferris wheel began moving once again, and Elena clamored across Stefan's lap back to her own seat before they came into view of the people on the ground. They still had a few more rotations before they could get off the ride, and Elena squirmed with anticipation. Stefan's hand was back on her inner thigh again, this time tracing patterns with his thumb and pressing ever so close to her throbbing core.

After what seemed like an eternity, the ferris wheel halted to a stop at the bottom and the ride attendant unlocked the restraint for them. Stefan thanked him as Elena stumbled out of the car. Her skin felt overheated and she looked around the carnival with blurred vision.

"Which way back to your car?" Elena asked. Stefan pointed to the left, and they began walking in that direction. Elena steps were quick with excitement. Her mind was locked on Stefan and the sweet adoration he makes her feel. Every so often, a whispering thought of Damon would enter her mind, but she quickly pushed it away. This is what she was supposed to be doing, right? This is the plan of action that she and Bonnie had concluded on. It wasn't selfish to enjoy both of these men and feel love for both of them. Okay, she knew it was selfish. But if she had to be selfish for a moment to understand her own desires, it was going to have to be okay. She knew she had to choose one, and she would, once she had enough evidence to back up her decision.

They reached Stefan's car, and he popped the trunk. He quickly lowered the back seats, creating a large area in the back of the car that was empty. He grabbed a few blankets and pillows from the underseat storage and placed them on the open area. Whipping around, he leaned against the car and pulled Elena against him.

"I hope you don't mind that this is not the most romantic place in the world. I just can't wait another moment." He grabbed a fistful of her hair and kissed her passionately, making her knees weak.

"I don't mind at all," Elena replied as they broke the kiss, reaching up to lock her arms behind his neck. They kissed again, and Stefan tuned around to gently lower her into the car. Elena looked around as he climbed in beside her and pulled down the hatch of the trunk. There was a lot more room than she expected. She could lie down without her head or feet being cramped, and she guessed that she could sit on her knees without hitting her head off the roof. Stefan reached behind his back and pulled his shirt over his head with one hand. Elena purred with delight as he crouched over her. His body was glorious. Not as big and ripped as Damon's, but still magnificent all the same. His muscles were leaner. His body was gentler in a way, and softer to the touch. Elena reached up to run her hands along his muscular arms. She could already feel his excitement pressing against her stomach as he lowered his body down on to hers. He placed kisses down her collarbone and across her chest, down her stomach, and at the top of the hem of her jeans. He lifted her hips with one hand and pulled down her jeans with the other, tossing them up to the front seat.

Stefan's teeth nibbled at the sensitive skin around her hip bones, and she gasped. Her hands found their way to his face, and she caressed his cheeks are he continued his sweet, torturous teasing. She moved his hands to his hair and yanked his head back up to be level with hers. Their lips locked, and she rolled over so she was laying flat on top of him. He unbuttoned his jeans as Elena kissed his jawline and nibbled on the lobe of his ear. He growled with desire and pulled his own jeans and underwear off. Elena didn't want any of the foreplay tonight. Damon had given her enough of that last night. Now, all she wanted was to feel her body intertwined with Stefan's. It was an animalistic desire, and Elena was all to willing to give in.

"Please Stefan. No more teasing. I need you," she panted, pulling down her panties and tossing them behind her. She ripped off her own shirt, and Stefan started up at her in wonder. She truly was the most beautiful thing he had ever laid eyes on. Her flawless olive skin seemed to shine under the faint glare of the lights from outside. Her long, dark hair hung down and pooled softly on his chest. He could feel his self-control beginning to slip. Any other day, he would have made Elena wait a little longer so that he could continue to please her with his foreplay. Tonight, however, both of their desires were too strong to hold back any longer. Elena positioned herself in a straddle on top of him and grabbed his member to guide it as she slowly slid her body down onto it. They both moaned with the sweet feeling of him filling her completely. Elena let her body adjust with his large dick inside of her before she started to lift her body up and down, riding him slowly.

Stefan closed his eyes and laced his fingers with hers. He let his head fall back as the pleasure of her taking control washed over him. She began to move faster, bobbing up and down and letting out shallow breaths. She moaned his name, and he began to thrust in time with her movements. She gripped the head of the passenger seat as he pounded into her and panted, calling out his name every few seconds as a new wave of pleasure wracked her body. Stefan reached down between her legs to rub fast circles around her clit and her eyes rolled back. She could feel herself nearing the edge already.

Stefan placed his hands below Elena's thighs and gently lifted her off of his member. He laid her down on her stomach, body completely flat on the floor of the car, and positioned himself over her. Elena moaned with anticipation. She loved this position, and so did Stefan. He plunged into her and she yelped with the force of his thrust. He began thrusting in and out of her so quickly that the car was shaking. She silently prayed that no one was around to witness this, but she was too preoccupied to really care. Stefan placed his hands on either side of her shoulders and lowered his head to place kisses on her upper back, never slowing his pace. He began to bite hard on her shoulders, and she groaned with the sensation.

Stefan abruptly switched their positions once more, pulling her up to her knees and swiftly putting his head between her legs. He plunged his tongue into her center and then lapped up her folds, stopping at the top to flick her clit with so much intensity that Elena gasped and called out his name again. He removed his tongue for a second, only to replace it with his rock-hard member. He rubbed the head of his cock up and down Elena's length and pressed hard on her clit. He plunged into her again, gripping her ass for support. He was eliciting deep, throaty moans that made Elena even wetter than before. She knew that he was close. His stokes became rougher as he neared his climax. He reached between Elena's legs to stimulate her clit once more, and she felt the pleasure deep in her stomach. She knew that she was close too.

She called his name as she reached her breaking point, and stars danced in her vision. Stefan reached his shortly after while she was still riding out the waves of her orgasm, and she felt his thick, warm seed filling her. They both panted and moaned for a few more moments before they came down from their highs. They had never reached climax at the same exact time before, and the feeling left them both with blurry vision. Stefan guided her body back down onto the floor and she cuddled against his bare chest. They sat in silence, looking out the fogged-up glass of the back window of the car at the carnival lights in the distance.

Elena looked up at the headrest of the passenger seat and groaned. She could see rips in the interior where her nails dug when Stefan was fucking her from behind. "I'm really sorry about that," she said, pointing at the damage. Stefan peered at it and laughed, shaking his head.

"That's an easy fix, Elena. Don't worry about it." He kissed the top of her head and drew her closer to him.

"I'd better be getting home soon. You know how Jenna is trying to be 'strict' with her school night curfews." Stefan chuckled and nodded.

"I wish you could come stay with me tonight," he mumbled, kissing her hair again. She thought about how nice it would be to snuggle up to him in his dark room, not caring about responsibilities the next day. Another unwanted image came up in her mind as she thought about the Salvatore house. She thought about going home with Stefan and facing Damon for the first time since their encounter. She gulped and pushed the image away. She would deal with that when the time came. For now, she was just enjoying Stefan's presence.

They both gathered their clothes and dressed then exited the car, trading their positions in the back for the two front seats. They drove home in a comfortable silence, and Elena dozed off to sleep before the end of the drive. She slept dreamlessly before being awakened by a growl elicited from Stefan.

She snapped her eyes open and felt the car slow to a stop. "Stefan, what's wrong?" She asked, sitting up and rubbing her eyes.

"Seems like we have an unwanted visitor." He said coldly. He opened his door and slammed it closed. As he came around the back of the car to let Elena out, she peered out of the window at her porch. She gasped as she saw a dark figure leaning casually against the banister near the front door. _Damon._

 **Oh no! Or is it oh yes? What is Damon doing there, and how is their first interaction since the incident going to go down, especially with Stefan around? Please leave your reviews and tune in for the next chapter to find out :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Wow, thanks for all the reviews on this last chapter! This is my first fanfiction, so I am so excited every time someone reviews, favorites or follows this. I had no idea that yall had so much hate for Stelena coupling! Trust me, I'm a total Delena shipper too, so if that tells you anything about how this story is going to go, have no fear ;)**

 **I'm working on developing the plot to turn this one shot into an actual story, so there's a lot of that in this chapter! I hope you enjoy it, and please leave a review after you read telling me your thoughts, predictions, suggestions, favorite color, etc.**

"Hello brother," Damon called, stepping off the porch and sauntering onto the yard.

Elena's vision blurred and she felt light headed. This was the first time she had been face to face with Damon since last night. She was nervous about the interaction to begin with, and that was when she thought that she could speak with him alone. Stefan was here too, however, making her even more nervous and queasy. Stefan opened her car door, never taking his eyes off of the approaching Damon. Elena stepped out of the car and immediately felt her knees give out. She wasn't sure if she was still exhausted or if the mixture of the adrenaline rushing through her body after seeing Damon and the nausea from her nervousness is what made her weak. Her vision went black and she reached out to try and grip the car door.

Right before she should have hit the ground, she felt a pair of strong hands grip her waist and whip her back up onto her feet. Her eyes fluttered open, and she gasped to see that she was inches away from Damon, who had rushed across the yard to stop her fall. Concern laced his eyes, and he kept his hands on Elena's waist to steady her.

"Thank you," Elena breathed, placing and hand on her forehead and inhaling deeply to try and steady her sharp, ragged breaths.

"Are you okay?" Damon mumbled. He looked her up and down, as if to check for injuries.

"She's fine," Stefan spat from behind Elena. He put his hand on her shoulder and pulled her back into his chest, out of Damon's grasp. "I'll take it from here." They stared at each other for a few tense moments with fire in both of their eyes.

"Obviously you _can't_ take it from here. You were too busy wasting your attention on me instead of paying any attention to Elena," Elena gulped and thought about the double meaning behind his words. They alluded to what just happened and what had happened last night. "Who was about to fall and smash her head off your front tire not even 3 feet away from you, in case you didn't notice." Damon snorted and shook his head. "You're despicable."

Stefan clenched his jaw and his grip on Elena's shoulder's tightened. Elena felt suffocated and squirmed to get away from his iron grip.

"I'm fine," she said, shifting away from him and turning to face both of them. "I think I just need to go lie down." She turned around and took a few steps for her front door.

Both Damon and Stefan moved as if to follow her into the house. Before Elena could even turn around, Stefan was at Damon's throat. He grabbed his collar and peered down at Damon threateningly. Elena could plainly see the blush-purple veins that pulsed below his eyes.

"Where do you think you're going?" Stefan gave Damon's collar a shake, and Damon sneered.

"I am going to go make sure _your_ girl is okay, something that you apparently are not capable of." Stefan might have had a few inches on Damon, but Damon was stronger. Stefan's strictly animal blood diet made him weaker than his brother. Damon shoved Stefan with the force of all of his weight behind him, and Stefan went flying to the ground. Stefan jumped back up to his feet and stood in a defensive crouch. Damon, unbothered, fixed the collar of his leather jacket before looking back up at Stefan.

"Trust me, you really don't want to do this little brother," Damon said lazily.

Stefan was not giving up that easily. All the rage that he had in his body towards Damon for outsmarting him the last couple of weeks seemed to pour out of him as he charged toward Damon again. Right as their bodies were about to collide, Damon sidestepped with astonishing speed. Stefan flew past him and smashed head-first into the nearby oak tree. Leaves and branches scattered to the ground around him and Elena gasped. Damon threw his head back and laughed coldly. Stefan was on his feet again, brushing bark off of his clothes and glancing back at the splintered trunk of the tree. He snarled at Damon and tensed as if he was preparing to charge again.

"Stop it! Both of you!" Elena cried. She stepped in the path directly in between the two and crossed her arms.

"Elena, get out the way," Damon called. She ignored him and continued to stare at Stefan, silently challenging him to defy her and go after Damon again. What she saw made her blood run cold. Stefan was looking her way, but it was as if he was looking right through her. Elena didn't recognize the face she was looking into. Any trace of Stefan's soft brown eyes was lost in the black voids that replaced them. The veins below his eyes had expanded downward to almost reach his jawline, and they pulsed violently. His sharp, extended canines were visible and his teeth were bared. A low, inhuman growl was rumbling out of his throat.

"Stefan?" Elena gasped. Her voice elicited no response from him, and he strode forward. Elena held her ground, less confidently than before, as he approached her. "Stefan, what are you doing?" She cried. He continued to look right through her as he continued his beeline for Damon. Elena still wouldn't budge. She was convinced that she could snap him out of this trance.

Stefan finally reached Elena, and instead of going around her, he plowed right over her. He only needed one hand to flick her away like a bug. He tossed Elena's body a few yards, and she skidded across the grass and onto the paved walkway that led to her house. Her bare arms and face scraped across the rough surface as she slid to a halt, and she saw streaks of bright red blood beginning to form on her skin. She groaned and slowly lifted her head off the ground to look at what was happening beside her.

Damon was standing in the same spot he was before, seemingly frozen with shock. He was shifting his gaze between Elena and Stefan, who was still striding across the yard towards him. He seemed unsure of what to take care of first, Elena's wounds or Stefan's trance. He took a step towards Elena but was stopped dead in his tracks as Stefan used his inhuman speed to block his path.

"Stefan, get ahold of yourself man!" Damon grunted, trying to step around him and continue his path to Elena. Stefan rolled back his shoulders and cracked his neck. If he had heard a word that Damon said, he didn't show it. He wound up and punched Damon square across the jaw. The impact of the blow sent Damon staggering backwards. Damon shook his head and blood spattered out from between his lips. "Oh," he chuckled. "I see." He spat the blood that was pooling in his mouth out on the ground and wiped his lips with the back of his hand. "A little glimpse of Ripper Stefan is coming out to play. Did I really piss you off _that badly?_ This is not the time or place." Elena's eyes widened and she inhaled sharply. She had never seen Stefan like this. He was scary when he was angry, but this was nothing compared to that. This was horrifying. She didn't even recognize him.

Elena's skin burned and her pain came back into focus. She wasn't hurt badly, but the road rash on her face and arms ached. She shifted her weight and gasped with the throbbing sensation of sharp prickles against her flesh. Rocks scattered off of her skin and fresh blood oozed out of the new cuts left behind them. While her injuries weren't serious, they were numerous. There was barely an inch of her exposed skin that wasn't scraped up from the impact of the pavement.

A breeze blew and scattered the debris from the splintered tree across the yard toward Stefan and Damon. At that moment, Stefan's head snapped up and whirled around in her direction. She could see his nostrils flaring, and his canines seemed to glisten in the moonlight. Elena gasped as she realized what was happening. The breeze had blown from behind her and traveled in the direction of the boys. The scent of her fresh blood had traveled with the breeze, and Stefan smelled it.

"Hey! No! Look at me Stefan," Damon yelled, shoving Stefan with a grunt. Damon realized what was going on too. Stefan stumbled forward but continued his slow advance toward Elena as soon as he regained his footing. "God damn it," Damon growled. He flew around Stefan to stand in front of him. "C'mon. You're not done with me, are you? You barely even left a scratch." Stefan swung his fist clumsily at Damon, and he dodged it. "You always were a terrible fighter, baby brother." Damon threw a swift uppercut at Stefan, and the punch knocked his head backwards. His attempts to distract Stefan remained fruitless. Stefan lowered his head slowly and stared blankly at Damon. He only saw him as a road block on the way to his next meal.

With one swift movement that Elena would have missed if she would have blinked, Stefan took three long strides to the right and ripped her mailbox from its concrete foundation. The wood on the bottom splintered, and he flipped the post around so that the jagged edge was pointed right at Damon. He threw the post with all of his might, and it flew toward Damon like an arrow leaving the bow. Damon tried to move out of the way, but he was not quick enough. The post pierced his side and was thrust the entire way through his body. He cried out with pain and fell to his knees, gripping the post as the jolt of hitting the ground shifted the splinters inside of him.

Elena cried out Damon's name and scrambled to her knees. Stefan snapped his attention to her once more and flew to her side. At an instant he was towering over her, his black eyes gleaming like razor sharp obsidian. He bared his fangs and lunged toward Elena's throat. She closed her eyes and let out a piercing scream as she waited for the sharp pain of his teeth to connect with her body.

The impact she braced for never came.

Elena peeked one eye open, almost afraid to see what had stopped the unrelenting force that was a bloodlusting ripper. Stefan was lying on the ground in front of her. His neck was twisted at an unnatural angle; it had been snapped.

"I've been searching for you bumbling idiots everywhere. What in the hell am I looking at right now?" A shrill, yet smoothly-accented voice came from Elena's left. Rebekah's slender frame was standing with hands on hips. Her gaze swept from Elena's bloody body crumpled on the ground to Damon a few yards away, tugging futilely at the post lodged in his body. "Any other day I would have paid good money to watch this scene play out," Rebekah sneered down at Elena and nudged Stefan's body with her toe. "Such a shame," she clicked her tongue. "How can someone this attractive be so wildly uncontrollable? Pity, if you ask me."

She strode over to Damon and yanked the post out of his side, tossing it back across the yard. Damon yelled in agony and doubled over. His fist pounded on the ground as his skin fused back together over the wound.

"Oh, get up you crybaby." Rebekah rolled her eyes.

"I should probably thank you, but I'd rather not," Damon grunted. He stood up slowly and shook splinters off of his clothes. "What are _you_ doing here?" As he spoke, he hurried to Elena's side and knelt down beside her. His gentle hands brushed the remaining gravel off of her wounds. After he finished fussing over her, he lifted his wrist to his mouth.

"You don't have to do that, I'm okay," Elena protested, putting a hand on Damon's arm to stop him. "They're just scrapes."

"Unless you really want to explain to your aunt why you look like you tucked and rolled out of a moving car, I'd heal up," he replied. Elena heard the crunch of skin breaking as his teeth pierced his wrist. He offered it to her, and she placed her lips on him reluctantly. She grimaced as the thick liquid entered her mouth and slid slowly down her throat. Within seconds, the stinging sensations on her face and arms began to lessen.

"Awww, feeling better?" Rebekah sneered again and crouched over Stefan's lifeless body. "Poor, mortal Elena. Always getting tossed around by these rough boys." She turned to Damon. "You two need to start playing with toys that are… more your type." She flashed a wicked grin and grabbed Stefan by the arms. She grunted and began dragging his body toward Elena's front door. "Well come along then. I suspect he'll come around before the top of the hour."

"Where are you going, and what are you doing with him? You can't even go in there. I haven't invited you in," Elena called, rising to her feet along with Damon.

"No need. Pretty little Aunt Jenny, or whatever her name is, was more than happy to invite me in when I asked to use her phone about an hour ago." Panic struck Elena's features, and Rebekah laughed cruelly. "Oh stop with that look, I didn't do anything to her. The only reason I was in this dreadful town was to look for Stefan. I even suggested that she go out to the bar for some fun so that I could wait for you here. You should be thankful that I did. You've all caused quite the ruckus." Rebekah grunted again as she hauled Stefan's body up the three wooden steps leading to the porch. His head thudded lifelessly against the hard ground with every jerk.

Damon and Elena looked at each other with sheer confusion and helplessly followed Rebekah through the open door.

* * *

Elena shifted uncomfortably on the loveseat. It had been about thirty minutes since Rebekah had propped Stefan up on a chair, tied his arms down with vervain ropes, and sat back to wait. Damon had tried to sneak up on her with a makeshift stake while she was doing it, but she heard him from a mile away and informed him that the next neck snapped would be Elena's if he tried anything smart again. Since then, he had been sitting beside Elena on the loveseat, switching his gaze between Rebekah and Stefan every so often.

Rebekah sighed and looked at the clock. "Well, can we at least turn on the television or something?" She asked, shooting an annoyed glance at Stefan's still lifeless body. "Why is this taking so long?"

"My guess is that he hasn't fed in a long time so he's weak. It's going to take him longer to wake up. That would also explain his psychotic, ripper-tastic breakdown when he got a whiff of Elena's blood." Damon looked at Stefan with a mixture of contempt and sadness.

"She is a sweet-smelling little thing. It irritates me to no end that you both keep her like a pet instead of ravaging her like a five-course meal." Rebekah picked at her manicure and crossed her legs.

"Can you please just tell us what you want?" Elena commanded.

"I've told you three times already. I need to speak with dear Stefan here. The fact that he was about to tear both of you to bits before I showed up tells me that you should be grateful for my appearance tonight."

Elena huffed and sank back into the couch. The clock read a little after midnight, and she was getting nervous that Jenna would return home with this crowd still in her living room. The TV blared to life as Rebekah grabbed the remote and flipped through channels.

"How are you feeling?" Damon murmured. He turned to Elena and brushed a piece of hair out of her face. His touch sent electricity racing down her cheek, and she blushed.

"There she goes again, blushing! Flaunting her aromatic blood flow right in front of you. I don't know how you stand it, Damon." Rebekah settled on E! and sat back in her chair to watch. Her comment went ignored.

"I'm fine. Thanks for healing me." Elena looked down at his perfectly cured wrist and wrinkled her nose at the memory of the metallic taste of blood in her mouth.

"Finally!" Rebekah cried, jumping up and walking over to stand in front of Stefan.

She had noticed his first signs of life far before the other two. Stefan's eyes fluttered open, and he gasped. He looked around wildly before settling his gaze on Elena. He groaned and his eyes glazed over as if he was remembering the events that led up to his neck being snapped.

"Elena," he whispered weakly. "I'm so, so sorry. Are you—"

"Enough. You lot have wasted enough of my time tonight with your Elena antics. I'll tell you the cliff notes version so we can move on. You stabbed Damon with a mailbox post. You smelled Elena's blood and tried to rip her throat. I saved the day by breaking your neck. Now here we are!" She threw out her hands in a sweeping motion. "In this dingy, poorly decorated living room," she paused to turn to Elena, "but it does have that _lovely_ Victorian charm—" Sarcasm dripped on her voice and Elena rolled her eyes. "So if you don't mind let's get to it so I can get back to my beautiful Italian villa as quickly as possible, yes?"

She gripped Stefan's cheeks between her pointer finger and her thumb. "I'm looking for someone whose whereabouts I believe you may know." She inched closer to Stefan's face and practically spat the name: "Alexis Branson."

"Lexi?" Damon asked incredulously. "You're bothering us because of _that_ overbearing piece of work?"

"Indeed. Seems the little tramp has stirred up some bad blood with one of my brothers. Contrary to my wishes, they've tasked me with locating her."

"I… I have no idea where Lexi is. She isn't one for keeping in touch regularly. The last time I saw her was when I met Elena. She came by to meet her and then went back to… Where was she was living?" Stefan was deep in thought.

"New Orleans. Apartment overlooking Bourbon Street. Unit A3. Trust me I've been there already." Rebekah threw her head back in frustration. "Come on Stefan, use that noggin. That apartment has been vacant for over 3 months, according to the landlord and neighbors. And I _know_ they're not lying."

"That's the last I've heard from her. She said she was going back to New Orleans."

Rebekah let out a long, dramatic groan, and then threw a nearby vase against the wall behind Elena and Damon's heads. Shards of glass exploded above them, and Damon flung his arms over Elena's head to shield her.

" _Christ_ Rebekah!" Damon yelled, jumping up and striding over to her. "He doesn't know anything, and this sure as hell isn't our problem. Just get out of here!"

"Well congratulations, I'm making it your problem! More specifically, his!" She whipped around and stabbed a finger threateningly at Stefan. "I thought that you were going to be the only one of use to me, but I was sadly mistaken about that."

"What did she do to your family?" Stefan asked.

Rebekah laughed and shook her head. "As if I'm going to stand here and converse about it with you. Just know this. As soon as I catch that little bitch and turn her over to the vengeful hands of my brothers, she'll be as good as dead." Rebekah turned and strode toward the door. "Scratch that," she whipped back around, golden hair flying. "She'll wish she were dead." The front door slammed with a force that knocked nearby picture frames to the ground, and she was gone.

Elena stared after her in a daze. She was beyond exhausted. The events of the night before combined with those of today drained her, and she just wanted to be alone. She heard Stephan grunting as he pulled against his restraints, and the vervain left his skin sizzling.

"Elena… can you…"

She stood up and walked over to him, averting his eyes. She had never been afraid of him before. Not until tonight. The blank, bloodthirsty look in his eyes frightened her beyond anything she had ever seen before. The vervain ropes did not bother her human hands as she attempted to free Stefan. Rebekah had tied the knots so tightly that there was no hope for Elena to undo them. She felt a soft touch on her shoulder and turned to see Damon handing her a chef's knife from the kitchen. She took it and began sawing at the ropes. They fell to the floor one by one, and as the last one tumbled off of him, Stefan stood up from the chair and rubbed his wrists.

"I'll make sure everything is cleaned up before Jenna gets back," he said quietly. Elena took a moment to survey the damage in the room. There was glass everywhere from both the shattered vase and the fallen picture frames. Pieces of rope littered the floor, and the upholstery on the chair was soaked with the vervain-laced water that had saturated Stefan's bindings. Elena sighed loudly.

"I'll help. It'll go faster." She slowly walked into the kitchen to retrieve a broom. She could feel Stefan and Damon's careful gazes follow her movements. They seemed unsure of how to handle her, unsure if she was doing alright or if she was on the verge of breaking down at any minute. The three cleaned up the chaos of the room in silence. Elena's head was spinning the entire time. Although the events of the night were a disaster, she was secretly thankful for the commotion since it distracted her from her awkward reunion with Damon. She still didn't know how to handle that. She didn't want to think about it. Stefan's outburst saved her from that, but it also made her wonder what would have happened if Rebekah wouldn't have shown up and saved her.

The shrill ringtone of Elena's phone broke the uncomfortable silence weighing on the room, and she jumped. She pulled the phone out of her pocket and was relieved to see Bonnie's name on the caller ID.

"Hello?" she mumbled into the receiver.

"Elena? Are you alright? I just got this horrible feeling in my chest and something tells me it had to do with you…"

Elena was silent for a moment. "Yeah Bon, I'm fine. Just… Do you think…" Elena gulped and felt hot tears rush to her eyes. "Do you think you could come over and spend the night?" She wasn't sure why exactly she was crying, but she knew the tears needed to come. She felt them roll down her cheeks and she inhaled deeply.

"I'm already on my way. I'll be there soon," Bonnie said softly. The other line clicked and Elena put down the phone. Her back was turned to Stefan and Damon, but she could feel their eyes burning holes in her shirt. She slowly turned and tried to sniff away the tears, but they kept silently flowing.

"Elena…" Stefan started. She could see his own set of tears springing up in his eyes and could almost feel the guilt and self-loathing radiating off of him.

"I'm not mad at you. I understand."

"There's nothing that happened tonight that you should be okay with and understand. That was—"

"That wasn't you. I get it. I'm just overwhelmed… with everything. I want to be alone with my best friend tonight."

Tears were rolling down Stefan's cheeks as well now, and he nodded with a clenched jaw. "I'll talk to you whenever you're ready." He turned towards the door, shoulders sagging. He barely turned his head to whisper "I love you," before he quickly stepped out of the house.

Damon was still standing, rooted to the spot where he had been before Elena got the phone call. "I don't want to leave." He said.

Elena sighed deeply. "Please Damon, I—"

"I don't want to leave because I want to protect you. Your aunt invited an Original vampire into this house. And might I add, an original vampire who isn't very fond of you for sleeping with her ex." He took a tentative step closer to her. "At least let me stay outside and keep watch."

"Rebekah isn't going to bother me. Now that we know who she's after, we also know that we are no help to her."

"Yes, until she kidnaps you for leverage to light a fire under Stefan's ass so that he finds Lexi for her. She'll do anything to get what she wants. I know her."

Elena bit her lip. She knew that Damon would not let her stay here without protection tonight. "So how about I go to Bonnie's then. No one is invited in and Bonnie can cast some sort of spell that alerts us to anyone coming, or something like that." Damon opened his mouth to protest, but Elena gave him a pleading look.

"Okay." She could see that it pained him to let her out of his sight, but she knew that he was aware of her stubbornness and the fact that she would not stay with him if she didn't want to.

The front door opened and Bonnie stepped inside. "What is that smell?" She asked, wrinkling her nose.

"Probably Stefan's singed flesh. Or maybe vervain water that I can't get out of the carpet," Damon said nonchalantly.

Bonnie gave Elena a look, and Elena shrugged. "He's probably right. Listen Bonnie I know you just got here, but can we go to your place instead? It's not exactly safe here right now," Elena said. Bonnie glared at Damon. "Not because of him. Rebekah Mikaelson paid us a visit and she was invited inside." Bonnie gasped and started to say something, but Elena cut her off. "I'll explain everything, I promise. Can we just go?"

Bonnie nodded. "Of course. I'll be in the car, okay?"

Elena nodded and forced a small smile, then climbed the stairs to her room to pack a bag.

As Elena trodded up the staircase, Damon turned and grabbed Bonnie's shoulder. "Bonnie, I want you to do some sort of witchy-woo tonight and make sure that no one can get into your house. I don't even want anyone within 50 feet of the perimeter. Got it?"

"I think we'll be alright," Bonnie replied, pulling away from his grasp. "I'll make sure no vampires can get through. And I mean none. You and Stefan included." She shot Damon a cold look.

"That's fine by me, because I'm going to be waiting here all night in case that Original pain in my ass decides to return. And I want no humans to be able to get on your property either. Rebekah could compel anyone she crosses paths with to do her bidding, and humans can enter your house without an invitation." Bonnie rolled her eyes and began to protest, but Damon stopped her. "Please, Bonnie. She won't let me, so I'm counting on you to keep her safe."

Damon's beseeching eyes made Bonnie drop her hateful demeanor. "She's my best friend, Damon. I won't let anyone hurt her." She turned and exited the house as Elena came back down the stairs with a duffel bag slung across her back. Damon looked at her tensely and stepped in front of the doorway to block her path.

"Are you going to be okay?" He asked quietly, reaching up to softly touch her forearm.

"Yes, I'm okay. I'm just exhausted and overwhelmed and I need to be away from all of this for just one moment." She sighed and regretted her words as soon as she saw the same look of self-hatred that Stefan had earlier cross Damon's face for a fleeting second. "You know what I meant."

Damon nodded and stepped out of the way. She walked past him but stopped in the doorway. With lips pressed together, she turned back around to face him.

"Will you stay here tonight? To make sure Jenna is safe?"

"I already planned on it," Damon answered.

"And Damon… thank you for always doing what you can to keep me safe. I'm sorry that you got hurt tonight."

Damon stepped toward her once again and stopped when their bodies were only inches away from each other. "Elena, I will go to the ends of the earth to protect you. There is no one, and nothing, I wouldn't face. I'll spend the rest of my life trying to prove it to you. I know you don't want to hear it right now, but I love you too. And I can protect you in ways that no one else can." She knew that by saying no one else, he meant Stefan.

New tears formed in Elena's eyes, and she couldn't find the words to respond. She knew that everything Damon was saying was true. She just wasn't sure how to admit that, both to him and herself. She closed the gap between them and leaned heavily on his chest, letting her tears stain his t-shirt. He wound his arms around her tightly and gave a gentle squeeze. Something about this embrace made Elena's heart feel warm and her entire body tingle with life. After a few moments, Elena pulled back.

"Bonnie is waiting for me. I have to go."

"You know where I'll be if you need me." He reluctantly released his grip on Elena, and she turned to leave again. Damon watched her as she slowly crossed the yard and lowered herself into Bonnie's car. He sighed and watched the car pull away. His chest ached with how badly he wanted to keep Elena right beside him so that he could protect her, but he knew that this is what she wanted for the night. Defeatedly, he stepped out into the yard and began to gather the debris from he and Stefan's spar.

* * *

"You did _WHAT?"_ Bonnie all but screamed, slapping her hands to both sides of her face in horror.

It was around 4 am. Elena had spent the last three hours talking to Bonnie about the events of the night, starting with seeing Damon on her porch. In an attempt to change the subject to something lighter, Bonnie had asked what she did with her day before that. This led to Elena telling her about the carnival and her sleeping with Stefan.

"I told you to spend alone time with both of them. And by alone time, I meant talking about your feelings with them, one by one so that you wouldn't have to hold back. Having sex with both of them is _not_ what I meant!"

Elena's face drained of color as the memory of swarming guilt resurfaced in her brain. She sat in silence for a minute before shaking her head slowly.

"What have I done?" She whispered. "Who even am I, Bonnie? This is not me!"

"I agree, this is totally not you. Elena, you are the one who judged Caroline for having two boyfriends within a month. I'm not trying to make you feel bad, I'm just pointing out the obvious."

"It's them, it has to be. I literally can't think straight when I'm around them. I do these things that I would never, ever even dream about doing and… ugh." She sighed and let her body slump down onto Bonnie's bed.

"It's because you love them. Both of them." Bonnie laid down beside her, and they both stared up at the ceiling. "But you can't keep doing this. It isn't fair to anyone involved."

"I know. I won't. And I mean it this time."

"Do you even want to see Stefan right now? He almost killed you."

"Of course I do. Well… I don't know. Maybe I don't. I don't know how to feel. I'm afraid that every time I look at him, I'll see that horrifying version that was like a stranger to me. I'm not scared of vampires. I'm not scared of dying. But what happened tonight scared me, Bonnie. Seeing him lose every piece of himself and become unrecognizable."

"And Damon?" She asked.

"I don't know about him either. Before we left tonight he reminded me about how far he would go to save my life, and that felt good. Safe, which is surprising because Stefan was supposed to be the safe one. But that also scared me too. I don't want to be this fragile, helpless thing that needs constant protection. I don't want Damon to kill someone and say that it was for my protection… Why can't anything be easy?"

The two remained silent, both deep in thought.

"I wish I could tell you what to do, Elena. But the truth is, I can't even begin to put myself in your shoes. Only you know what you feel, and you have to let it guide you." Elena nodded and scooted closer to Bonnie. "And hey, if the choice is too hard, you can always drop both of them and join me in the 'perpetually single club!'" They both laughed warmly and smiled at each other.

"You know we have to be up for school in like 3 hours, right?"

Elena sighed and put her face in her hands. "Skip day?"

"Skip day," Bonnie agreed.

Elena rolled over and turned off the lamp next to the bed. As darkness fell over the room, both girls yawned simultaneously. Elena almost immediately fell into a deep sleep, knowing that a full day of facing her problems lied ahead of her.

 **Wow, that was a total change of pace from the last two chapters of this story amiright?! How did you like the plot development? What do you think is going to happen next? Once again, thanks for your interest in this story :) stay tuned for the next chapter!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you so much to those who reviewed! I'm glad you are liking the plot development. Enjoy this chapter :)**

"Hello?" Elena mumbled groggily into her phone. The buzzing of an incoming call had woken her up. She peered around Bonnie's dark room and saw rain splattering against the window panes. The sky was dark and gloomy, and it just made Elena want to curl back up in the warm bed and pull the covers over her head. Bonnie shifted beside her, also woken by the noise of the phone call, just to roll over and yawn.

"Hi," came the reply. Elena couldn't quite make out who said the greeting. She squinted at the bright screen and rubbed her eyes. The caller ID was an unknown number.

"Um, hang on," she whispered into the receiver. Elena peeled back the covers and padded to Bonnie's door. Bonnie lived on the ground floor, and she had a sliding glass door in her room which led out to a small covered patio. Elena pulled open the door and then shut it quietly behind her, leaving Bonnie to continue sleeping. "Who is this?"

"It's Stefan." Elena was shocked to realize that she didn't even recognize his voice. He sounded tired and defeated. His voice rumbled lowly as if he had not slept.

"Stefan? Why aren't you calling from your phone?"

"Extremely long story. I'm calling from a payphone on Route 23. I went looking for Lexi last night in Roanoke. I know she has a friend who has an apartment in the city, and she stays there sometimes. No one was home though but I left a note, so... Now I'm about 45 minutes away from Mystic Falls."

"Oh," Elena replied, not really sure what to say. She was so wrapped up in her own problems that she almost forgot about the fact that the Originals wanted Stefan's best friend dead and were most definitely going to see to the deed themselves. "Do you have any idea where Rebekah is?"

"No, not a clue. That's why I travelled there last night. I was hoping to catch Lexi before Rebekah does."

"And she doesn't like… have a cell phone?" Elena twisted a lock of hair around her fingers and shivered as a gust of wind blew the rain at an angle so it fell beneath the patio roof and splashed on her toes.

Stefan let out an unamused laugh. "When you've been around as long as Lexi, you don't need a cell phone. If she wants to get in touch with you, she will find a way. She also isn't the best at updating me on her life, so I have no idea where she could be. She's one of those people that kind of just pops up here and there whenever she feels like it."

The line went silent, and Elena remained quiet as well.

"Anyways, I just wanted to let you know why I wasn't at school today. I don't want to bother you."

"Actually, I wasn't there either. Bonnie and I skipped. Your call is the first time I've been up all morning." Elena pulled the phone away from her face to check the time. It was 2:08 pm. "All afternoon, I guess."

"Well good. I'm glad you got some rest." Stefan cleared his throat nervously and she could hear him swallow hard through the phone. "Elena, I don't want to talk about what happened last night just yet. I want to give you some time to think about it before you have to see me again. And if you don't even want to see me, I understand."

"Don't be ridiculous," Elena began, but Stefan cut her off and continued.

"So I'm going to go away. I'm going after Lexi. I'm going to try and find her before Rebekah or anyone else does. I owe it to her. She's saved my life more than once. This will also give you time without my presence to think about what you want."

"I understand that you want to help her, but where will you even start?" she asked.

"I have a few leads. One in Seattle, one in Washington, D.C., and another in Pittsburgh. I honestly don't know if they're all going to be busts or not, but I have to try."

Elena stood quietly, deep in thought. This was not the Stefan she knew. He was calculated. He made plans before he carried them out. He didn't seem to have any sort of a strategy now, just blind hope. She definitely underestimated his love for Lexi and the lengths he would go for her. A voice in the back of her mind reminded her that she also wouldn't mind the time apart. She still wasn't sure about how to feel about Stefan wanting to kill her last night, and beyond that, she still wasn't sure about her feelings for Damon and what they meant for her relationship with Stefan.

"Okay," she finally said. "I really hope you find her."

"I will. I have to."

"Do you have any idea of how long you'll be?"

"Honestly, no. I doubt it will be long though. Lexi's no Katherine; she's not a hider. Someone is going to find her soon. I'm just hoping it's me."

"Well I'm sure she's aware that the Originals are after her. It's not likely that you'd piss one of them off and not know about it. Even if she's not the best at disappearing, at least she's probably giving it an effort."

"You're right." He sighed, and Elena shivered again as more wind bit against her bare skin. "Well I'm coming home to pack up a few things and I'll be gone again by tonight. Let me know what your plans are for the week, okay?"

"I will." Elena headed back toward the glass door and placed her fingers against the cool glass. This conversation was awkward. They were both walking on eggshells with each other, neither one quite sure how to act. "I'll keep you updated, and you do the same for me, okay?"

"I promise."

"And Stefan… Lexi is going to be okay. She's tough, and you know that."

Elena could hear the smile in Stefan's voice. "Yeah, she is. Kind of like you."

Elena wasn't really sure how to react to that comment. Did he mean that she was tough for not being afraid to speak to him after last night, or what? She chuckled halfheartedly and played with the fringe on the drawstring of her pajama pants. "I'm not afraid of you Stefan. I know you didn't want to hurt me last night. I just… I have a lot to think about."

"I understand. And I love you, Elena. I'll talk to you later," he hung up before she had the chance to say anything back.

Elena sighed. Even though she wasn't sure about where she stood with Stefan right now, she was still worried about him. He was trying to interfere with a fight that had nothing to do with him—a fight involving a fleet of the most powerful and vengeful vampires in the world, the Mikaelsons. Elena stared into her reflection in the glass. She looked better than yesterday. She had showered when she arrived at Bonnie's house, and the long, deep sleep gave her skin a healthy glow. She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and reached for the door handle.

As she was about to pull the door open and return to the warm room, a flicker of motion in the reflection on the glass caught her eye. The image was warped by the light drizzle of rain, but she saw a pale figure treading through the tree line at the back of Bonnie's property. Elena whipped around and pressed her back into the glass, peering out into the yard. The Bennetts lived on their own little plot of land, far out from the housing developments of town. No one would really have a reason to be in these woods wandering around. The figure weaved in and out of the trees and stepped carefully among the wet leaves and branches on the ground. Elena edged closer to the edge of the patio and squinted, trying to see through the rain that was now falling a little heavier than before. The person was looking all around, but never back at the house. Their eyes seemed to be glued to the dark areas of the woods.

Elena gasped and let out a squeal of surprise as she felt something flick against the back of her calf. She whirled around, only to see the Bennetts' cat staring up at her with big, green eyes. It meowed softly and began to wind around her legs. Elena let out a chuckle of relief and bent down to scratch the animal's head. She picked her head up and peered back out into the woods. The figure was facing her now; her yell of surprise must have caught his ears. It was obviously a man. His all black clothes hung on him and his even blacker hair clung to his face with the rain. Elena recognized the build of the body and raised her eyebrows.

"Damon?" She called out into the yard.

He waved his hand, motioning for her to come to him. Elena looked up unsurely at the angry sky. She would be definitely be soaked if she stepped out from under her cover, but she didn't exactly want to go back into the house for an umbrella and tell Bonnie that her least favorite Salvatore brother was patrolling her yard. She took a deep breath and dashed off the shelter of the patio roof. The wet grass squished under her bare feet, and she laughed as the sensation made chills go up her body. The rain pounded down on her head as she slowed her pace, almost reaching Damon. She pushed her wet hair out off of her face and looked up at him. He had a childlike grin on his face, and he held up his hand, almost like it was resting on an invisible wall.

"What are you doing?" Elena asked breathlessly, pointing to his outward facing palm.

"I was just checking to make sure good old Bon Bon stayed true to her word." He tried to walk toward her and was visibly stopped in his tracks by an unknown force. "She's in the clear this time. _No entrada_ to the vampire. I was also just checking the perimeter for any lurking Rebekah servants."

Elena reached out to touch the barrier that was keeping him out, but her hand went right through it as if she was just batting at the air.

"You're getting soaked. Come here," Damon called, raising his voice as the speed of the rain increased. Thunder cracked wildly overhead, and Elena jumped, moving forward slightly and finding herself face to face with Damon. His famous half smirk was plastered across his face and he reached out to move a stubborn strand of wet hair out of her eyes. A raindrop dripped off of Damon's nose and landed on Elena's cheek. Her face was upturned to look at him, and her heart rate was picking up. He really was beautiful. She never denied this. From the moment she met him, she was painfully aware that his breathtaking looks made her nervous. But it was different now, in a sense. She didn't just see his looks, she saw inside of him. She saw the man that yearned to be loved after decades of chasing someone who only broke his heart. She saw the man that cared for her and saw her as more than a fragile piece of glass. He saw her as someone with her own agenda, her own will and feelings.

Elena tilted her head back a little more and felt the gravitational pull of his lips. As she was leaning in ever so slightly, Damon whisked her off her feet to carry her and cradled her against his chest. He ran through the trees at a speed that made Elena dizzy. She felt like they were flying. Before she even had the time to let out the breath that she gasped in when he picked her up, he placed her back down on the ground. Elena looked around and was surprised to see that they were in the old gazebo far behind Bonnie's house. She had almost forgotten about it. It's where she, Bonnie, and Caroline used to play when they were children.

"I can walk, you know," Elena said, gripping her tank top and wringing it out. A puddle of water splashed on the dry floorboards.

"I'm well aware," he replied, shaking the rain off of his own clothes. "I just didn't want you to hurt your bare feet. And I figured you were getting cold out there."

Elena looked down at her pruney toes. She had forgotten that she wasn't wearing shoes. A warm feeling spread across her chest. If someone would have told her a few months ago that Damon Salvatore would be carrying her to avoid a stick catching on her heel, she would have laughed in their face. Damon Salvatore was not sweet, let alone caring towards anyone but himself. But _oh,_ how he was. Elena knew that he cared about her, noticing these little things and always wanting her to be comfortable.

"I used to love this place. We would come out here and have pretend weddings." Elena ran her hand along the smooth, painted wood. She crouched down and smiled at small etchings that were in the picnic table of the letters, E, B, and C. "Caroline was always the bride though. Bonnie and I had to switch out between being the bridesmaid and the husband." Damon and Elena both laughed together at the thought.

"I have a hard time believing that Caroline didn't just sucker some poor, unsuspecting boy into playing husband," Damon snickered.

"Oh trust me, she did. She tricked Matt, Tyler, and even Jeremy into coming here. Matt was the only one nice enough to play along, and he never came back after the horrific experience of 10-year-old Caroline telling him that his vows were pathetic and unoriginal." She walked around the perimeter of the gazebo with her eyes closed, feeling along the wall for guidance. A small smile graced her lips, and she remembered the sweet times of the past. When she opened her eyes and turned to Damon, she found him pulling off his t shirt. The wet fabric of the tight, black v-neck clung to him and seemed to peel off his chest like a second skin. Elena gulped and felt the familiar sensation of desire pooling in her stomach.

When his shirt was completely off, he looked up to catch her staring and smirked. "Relax, I'm just going to hang it up so that the wind can dry it more quickly." He reached up to where a string of party lights were draped across the ceiling and tossed his shirt across the line. The fabric blew in the breeze, and Elena tried hard to focus on that instead of his rippling muscles on full display in front of her.

"So," he began. He turned to stand beside her, sitting on the top of the picnic table. "What's your decision?"

Elena's eyes grew wide. "My what?" She was afraid that he was asking her about her relationship with Stefan or him.

"Your decision. On whether or not you want me to make you forget about what happened the other night." His eyes were on fire, and they bore into hers.

"Oh," she breathed, shoulders sagging with relief. She wasn't ready to answer any questions about her feelings just yet. She took a good, hard look at him and pursed her lips, trying to convey confidence. "No. I don't want you to compel me to forget." As much as she liked being submissive to Damon that night, she felt like the incident left her powerless. She wanted to show him that she was capable of making her own decisions without the influence of one of the boys.

He raised an eyebrow and leaned back on his palms. His biceps tightened as he supported his weight with his arms, and Elena could almost feel her mouth watering. They stared at each other, neither one speaking. It seemed like Damon was trying to dive into her mind and read her thoughts.

Elena's cheeks burned as his eyes continued to lock onto hers. "What?" She asked.

"Nothing. That's just not the answer I was expecting." He stood up and flicked stray paint chips from the picnic table off of his jeans. Elena bit her lip, and he looked up at her slowly. "Why?" He asked quietly.

"Why?" She repeated, tugging at the hem of her shorts again. She couldn't make herself look up into his gleaming eyes or she knew that she would lose all rational thought processes. "I don't really know why." _Ugh Elena,_ she thought to herself. This is not how she wanted this conversation to play out. She wanted to project herself as this confident person who had reasons for her actions. "I mean, I do know why. It's just… a few different reasons." She allowed herself to peek up at his face. His head was cocked slightly to the side, and he was looking at her fidgeting hands.

He reached out to grab them, stopping her movements and pulling them to rest on his thighs. "Can you explain?"

Her hands touching his body made her knees want to shake, but she continued on. "I don't know… You know what? Yes. Yes I can." She had had enough of this indecisive chatter that was going on in her brain. The only way that she was going to feel better was if she tried to speak her mind and tell him the truth. "Sorry if this is confusing, but you have to understand that I'm confused myself." She pulled her hands off of his legs and took a small step back so that she could comfortably look him in the eyes. "I love Stefan, Damon. I have since I met him." Damon's face fell slightly, but he did not remove his gaze from hers. "But what happened the other night… I don't want to remember just because of the fact that it was amazing and felt indescribable. I want to remember because I think it only felt that way because it happened with you." His bright eyes seemed to widen a bit, and he swallowed.

"I'm afraid of this, you know. I don't want to be like her—" She began.

"You're nothing like her," Damon interrupted. He knew she was talking about Katherine without Elena even having to say it.

"I sure feel like it," she mumbled. She tried to push that thought aside and lowered her gaze down to Damon's hands. He was gripping the picnic table so tightly that his knuckles were white and the old wood warped slightly around the pressure. "But I also feel…alive. I feel like this is right. Something has been missing for me, for a while Damon. I fooled myself into believing that empty feeling went away went I met Stefan, but I didn't truly understand until I started spending time with you."

Damon peeled one hand off the picnic table and ran it though his hair. The imprints of his fingers were left on the wood. Elena she looked back up at his face. His expression was a swirl of unreadable emotions. She couldn't quite pick any of them out. She thought she saw hints of happiness, mixed with sadness, mixed with nervousness and anticipation. He released his other hand from the table and let his arms hang at his sides. She could tell that he wanted to touch her but he was being cautious, afraid that any sudden movement would scare her away and ruin this moment.

"I don't know what I'm feeling, honestly. It's all very confusing. But I do know this." Elena felt in control of the situation again. She couldn't believe that she was actually admitting this all out loud, to the very person she was most afraid to tell it to. But the words were flowing out of her mouth with no restraint, and she knew it was right. "I like how I feel when I'm with you. I don't care if it's wrong. I want you, and I don't want to fight myself any longer." She moved toward Damon and grabbed his hands. Their finger intertwined, and a look of pure bliss clouded his eyes.

"Elena," he breathed. He was unsure where to begin. He had played out his fantasy of her telling him that she chose him over and over, and he had rehearsed every line of what he would say to her at least 1,000 times. The words, however, seemed to just slip away from his mind as she looked at him. He could hear her heart thumping loudly in her chest, and her eyes were bright and round. He couldn't believe this was happening. He had given up all hope of her wanting him over Stefan a long time ago. This is all he had desired for his entire life, he realized; for someone to choose him. And not just anyone, it had to be Elena. He knew the universe had made him pursue Katherine all those years so that he could find the real love of his life at the end of the chase. He would do anything for her. There was no limit to the lengths he would go to protect her and make her happy.

Elena prevented him from having to find the words to say by leaning up and pressing her lips to his. The kiss was soft, but it broke a dam of emotions between them. Elena could feel his lips moving in sync with hers, and it felt as though he were whispering all the promises of love and happiness and protection to her through the kiss. She reached up to lock her arms behind his neck, and he picked her up effortlessly so that she could wrap her legs around his waist. They pulled back and stood like this, looking at each other quietly for a moment, before Damon smiled at her.

"You are everything I've ever wanted, Elena. In my incredibly long and painful life, I've never felt happiness like you make me feel. There has never been, and will never be, _anyone_ like you." His words made her shiver and a warm flash of belonging beat through her chest. Nothing had ever felt so right.

He lowered his head to his her again, and this time the softness had vanished. Their lips locked and pressed against each other hard, as if they were trying to make up for all the lost time that they were apart. Elena's hands caressed the back of his neck and she tightened her legs' grip around him. He opened his mouth slightly and their tongues slid across each other. Their tongues moved to dance in her mouth, and he moaned with delight. She broke away from the kiss to breathe, and Damon wasted no time placing wet kisses down her neck. Elena tossed her head back in ecstasy. Every nerve in her body was wired and alive. Her senses were sharp, and she felt like she could not get close enough to Damon. She buried her hands in his dark hair and grinded her core against his lower stomach.

"Don't start that, or I'm never going to let you leave here," he whispered directly into her ear. Goosebumps of desire raised on her arms, and she pulled on his hair and guided his mouth back to hers. She wasn't sure how much time they spent in that position, locked in a haze of beautiful bliss, kissing with all the forces of love and desire inside of them. After a while, Damon pulled away reluctantly.

"Bonnie is calling for you," he said quietly, breathing heavily and setting her gently back on the ground. Elena heard nothing but the sound of rain, but she knew that his hearing would pick up on her friend's distant voice long before hers did.

"No," Elena whimpered, stepping close to him and pressing their bodies together once more.

Damon chucked and wound his hands around her waist, gently resting them on her lower back. "Trust me, I don't want you to leave either."

"Then don't make me."

"You know she'll come looking for you," he countered. Stepping away from her again, he reached above his head to pull his now dry shirt down. He slipped it over his shoulders as Elena pouted. She felt like a child having to leave the park. All she wanted to do was stay beside him all day. She felt as though she would lose a part of her if he left her sight. "Just go back. Say that you accidentally let her cat out and ran off to look for it."

She sighed but nodded in agreement.

"Elena," he murmured, and she looked up into his smoldering eyes again. "Will I see you later today?"

"If you wish," she replied, a coy smile playing on her lips.

"Oh I don't just wish, I _command."_ He stepped closer to her again to place a heavy kiss filled with longing on her lips. "You'll know where to find me." With that, he stepped back into the pouring rain and disappeared among the trees.

Elena's whole body was aching for him to return. She had never felt this kind of need for another person before. She knew with every bone in her body that this was right. It might seem the opposite to everyone else, but it didn't matter to her. With a purely elated smile, she turned to exit the gazebo and dashed back towards Bonnie's house, barely even feeling the twigs snap beneath the soft skin of her bare feet.

* * *

"Hey guys!" Caroline called from across the grill, waving enthusiastically.

Bonnie and Elena had decided to go to the Grill to eat dinner and asked Caroline to meet them there to catch them up on what they missed in class that day.

"Wow, I feel like I haven't seen either of you in so long!" Caroline squealed happily, grabbing both of their hands and squeezing. "Especially you, Elena. What's new in Salvatore world?"

Elena smiled nervously. She wasn't ready to tell the public about her relations with Damon yet, and telling Caroline was pretty much the same as putting a billboard on the highway. "Oh not much…" Caroline's eyes narrowed suspiciously, and Elena got the feeling that she knew more than she was letting on about. "Except for the fact that Stefan is about to go on a wild goose chase across America. Rebekah Mikaelson is after Lexi, and he's going to try and help her."

"Oh my god, I _heard!"_ She gushed. "That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about. Stefan stopped by my mom's office a few hours ago and asked to use her computer to look up some people's files. That's when he told me what was going on. He and my mom were brainstorming about how he's going to go about this, and he realized that wherever Lexi is, she is probably somewhere that vampires can't enter. Like an owned house, you know?" Bonnie and Elena nodded, and Caroline nodded along with them. "So I told Stefan that he needs to take a human with him that can get into places that he can't to look for her. He doesn't want you to go, Elena, because he said he'd be too worried about you and he wants to keep you out of it. So," she took a deep breath and then continued her stream of talking. "he suggested that I come with him and help out! Which I'm totally willing to do for you guys. I know how much Lexi means to him and by the transitive property that also means she means a lot to you, right Elena?"

"Um, something like that," Elena replied.

"So then my mom got all worried and was like, 'but she could get hurt!' So Stefan also suggested, and only if it's okay with you Bonnie, that I could get some kind of like, protection spell cast on me, just to be extra safe." Bonnie didn't even have time to respond before Caroline was off again. "And Elena if you're in any way uncomfortable with this, please just let me know and I'll drop the whole thing. I just really want to be helpful and it's so scary that the originals are looking for Lexi, so I figured every little bit of help would be appreciated." Caroline looked up at Elena with doe eyes. "So is it okay with you if I go on this trip with Stefan?"

"Um… Yeah sure Caroline. He's going to be lucky to have you there helping," Elena replied, looking at her uncertainly. She knew that Stefan didn't want her involved and didn't want to call and bother her, but it struck her as odd that he would invite one of her best friends on a dangerous rescue mission without even mentioning it to her first.

"Oh, perfect!" Caroline gushed a sigh of relief. "I just didn't want to make you feel like I was overstepping my boundaries or anything. It's just that we're all in this crazy situation together so we have to do everything we can to keep everyone safe, right?"

"Right," Bonnie and Elena said in unison. Caroline beamed at them and then signaled for the waiter.

"Well geez, we're going to have to tutor _you_ after all the school you're going to miss!" Bonnie said, pulling her notebook out of her bag.

"Oh I'm sure it will be okay. There's no way that they would hold back Miss Mystic Falls for missing a week or two. But I'll definitely still take you up on that catch-up offer."

Caroline and Bonnie continued to chat about due dates and notes while Elena stared off into the distance. She didn't want to be here right now. She didn't even care about school at the moment. All she wanted to do was speed over to the Salvatore boarding house and spend time with Damon. Now that she laid all her cards on the table, she was anxious and excited about what he was going to do with her confession.

"Um, hello? Earth to Elena!" Caroline was waving in her face and the waiter was staring at her awkwardly.

"I'm so sorry. I'll have the chicken flatbread with a side of fries," she said, handing him the menu.

Their food came and went, and their checks came and went as well. Elena rapped her fingernails against the table impatiently the whole time. She couldn't even try to hide the fact that she was on edge and wanted to get out of there.

"Is everything okay, Elena?" Bonnie asked, right as Elena was about to grab her pretty much untouched boxed up meal and scoot out of the booth.

"Yeah, I'm fine! I'm actually great." She smiled at her friends. "I'm just feeling jittery for some reason, so I think I'm going to head home if that's okay with you"

"I'm going to head out too, actually. I need to pack a few things up for the trip," Caroline said, standing up and brushing crumbs off her shirt. "Will you come with me and cast the spell, Bonnie?"

"Yes, I can. I have the Grimoire in my backpack. We'll just have to stop at my place and get some materials first." Bonnie picked up her backpack with a grunt and followed Caroline towards the exit.

The girls called out their goodbyes to each other as they got in their separate vehicles. Elena watched Bonnie pull away from the Grill with Caroline following behind. Once they were out of sight, she backed her own car out of the parking spot and headed down the road in the opposite direction of her house. It was around 7 pm, and they sky was streaked with the last beams of daylight. Elena gripped the wheel with anticipation as she drove away from town toward the Salvatore house.

* * *

Elena bit her lip as she pulled into the long drive leading to the dark boarding house at the end of the lane. Stefan's car was parked right in front of the front door of the house, and he was loading bags into the open trunk. Elena shuddered as she remembered the events that happened just last night in that trunk. She felt guilty and sick to her stomach, but she quickly swallowed the feelings away. _No more dwelling on what happened in the past,_ she thought. _I need to be happy with the choices that I make now, not the ones that have already been made._ With that thought, she pulled up beside Stefan's car and put her own vehicle in park. She took a deep breath and stepped out of the car. Stefan looked up from his packing and gave her a grim smile.

"Elena. What are you doing here?" He said, taking a tentative step towards her.

She stared at him, at a loss for words. She hadn't thought about crossing paths with him in her haste to get to Damon. This definitely wasn't the time or place to break it to him that she just might be in love with his brother.

"I just needed to…" She began. "I mean, I just _wanted_ to…" She kicked at the rocks on the driveway with her toes and looked down at the ground. "Say goodbye in person before you left." _Thank god awkward conversation is normal between us right now, or he would definitely know something was up,_ she thought.

Stefan's grim smile turned into a genuine one, and he leaned back against the passenger side door of his car. "I'm hoping to not be gone long. I like to think I know Lexi better than anyone, so if I'm right, then I should be getting to her first."

"Please be careful," she said quietly, still looking at the ground rather than his face.

"I will," he replied. They stood in silence for a moment before Stefan strode across the driveway to close the space between them. His arms wrapped around her in a tight embrace, and he sighed into her hair. "I'm sorry. I know I said I would stay away from you and let you think, but I just didn't want to leave like that."

Elena's insides churned and she felt ill once again. She obviously cared about Stefan and also didn't want him to go on a daring mission while they were on bad terms. But what kind of terms did she want them to be on? She hugged him back, but kept her head firmly placed in the crook of his neck. She didn't want to kiss him.

"Will you let me know that you're alive every once in a while?" She mumbled, pulling back from the hug and quickly crossing the driveway to stand beside his bags. She leaned down and began tossing them in the trunk awkwardly, desperately trying to avoid his intimacy.

"Of course. And Caroline's coming. I'm sure she will keep you more than updated."

Elena now turned to look at him skeptically. "I wanted to ask you about that, actually. Why d—"

"Yoo hoo!" Elena's question was cut short by Damon calling at them as he exited the woods. Elena and Stefan both turned their heads to look at him. He looked awful. He had no visible wounds on his body, but his clothes were torn and ragged. His usually stylishly messy hair was a wreck, and it looked as if he had lost a wrestling match with a bear. He was walking stiffly, and his posture was a little too upright. "You better hit the road, little brother."

"What happened to you?" Stefan asked. "Get in a fight with the bartender?"

"How about 'ambushed by an Original?'" He shook his head at Stefan and moved to stand beside Elena.

"Who?" Stefan's voice sounded rushed and worried.

"Kol," he said. "That bastard had the guts to try and infiltrate _my_ bar seat. Who does that?"

"Why is Kol in Mystic Falls?" Elena asked.

"My guess is that he is following blondie to make sure that she is actually doing what she's tasked with instead of chasing after you, Stef," Damon said and shrugged as Stefan clenched his jaw.

"I don't like the fact that he's here. That means there's at least two of them on the move. And who knows what the other ones are up to," Stefan mumbled, leaning down to put the remaining luggage in his car. He pulled down the trunk lid hurriedly and turned to look at Damon again. "What exactly happened?"

"Exactly what you would expect to happen. I was just minding my own business, attending my regular establishment with Ric, and I heard that clown come in. He told me that he wanted my seat at the bar, so I proceeded to smash my glass over his head. Probably not my best move. He and I both figured that a vampire brawl in the middle of The Grill wasn't in out best interests, so we took it outside. And you can guess the rest." Damon grimaced and rolled his shoulders back. "I wouldn't say that I lost, but I definitely didn't win." He turned around and Elena gasped as she saw pieces of wood sticking out of the flesh in his back.

"Why do you have to instigate?" Stefan groaned.

"Well pardon me for trying to do you a favor. I thought that he might stick around if he had somebody to fight with. That would give you some extra time on your important journey," Damon replied sarcastically. He turned towards the front door and started limping away. "Can you at least get the remains of the front steps of The Grill out of my spinal column before you depart?"

"No can-do brother," Stefan replied coldly. "You said it yourself, I better hurry up and hit the road." He strode around to the driver's side of his car and slid in the front seat. "Maybe this _journey_ wouldn't seem ridiculous to you if you actually cared for other people's well-being." The engine roared to life and he started to pull away. The window rolled down, and he looked at Elena as he drove past. "I'll keep you updated," he called to her. He ripped down the driveway, sending gravel rolling behind his tires, and his car was soon out of view.

"I must admit, this is not the state I expected to be in when I saw you tonight," Damon said. Elena turned to look at him. He grinned at her, and then winced. "What's a guy gotta do to get a little help with this?"

"You want me to pick the pieces out?" Elena asked, eyes widening.

"Well, they most definitely can't stay in."

"But I can't! I don't want to hurt you." She bit her lip and circled around him to examine the battered skin. Dozens of jagged splinters the size of her fingers jutted out of his back at odd angles. Dry blood was caked all around the wounds.

"I can't reach it myself, Elena. It will be easy," he said, taking her hand and leading her into the house.

Elena groaned but allowed Damon to guide her into the living room. A fire was roaring, illuminating the dark room and throwing long shadows across the floor. It was comfortably warm. Damon released Elena's hand and patted a cushion on the couch.

"I'll be right back," he said cooly. He rounded the corner and disappeared toward the cellar steps, and Elena took a seat. Within seconds, Damon was back in the living room. He was carrying what looked like a giant pair of pliers and hedge shears.

"Can't I use tweezers?" Elena asked, gulping.

"Tweezers? For the entire plank of wood lodged in my back? We'd be here for three days," he replied. He set the tools down beside Elena on the couch and took a seat on the floor in front of her.

Elena sighed and tentatively leaned down to grip the hem of his t-shirt. He lifted his arms with a pained grunt, and Elena peeled the bloody rag off of his skin. He inhaled sharply as her fingers gently pried the fabric away from the splinters.

"Sorry," she mumbled, and pulled the shirt the rest of the way off. Damon took it from her hands and tossed it into the fire. "Was that necessary?" she cried, scooting towards the edge of the couch as the fire grew and spit flaming pieces of t-shirt ash their way.

"Did that look salvageable to you?" He turned to look at her incredulously.

She shook her head and slid back over to sit behind him. She reached for the pliers and gazed at his back. With a nervous gulp, she lowered her hands and began to tug at the first splinter.

 **Sorry- I know that's kind of a weird place to break for a new chapter, but it's getting long and I have plans for Damon and Elena's night ahead. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please consider leaving a review with your thoughts :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello everyone! Hopefully a few of you are still with this story. I'm truly sorry that it took so long for this chapter. Life just caught up with me and it was hard to find the time. Thanks to everyone who has followed and favorited and (especially) reviewed. It really makes my day and motivates me to write! Also- a total plot hole has been brought to my attention in a review. In the series, Caroline did not know about any of the vampire business when she was still human. For the purposes of this story, we're just going to pretend that she is still human like Elena and in the know about the vampirism. Thank you to the reviewer that pointed that out, and I'm so sorry about that mess up! I try to keep my fics as close to the plot line of the real Vampire Diaries as possible :)**

 **This chapter is all about Damon and Elena. Let me know if you like it! Also, I love your input and ideas for where this story is headed so please keep them coming. Enjoy!**

Damon let out an agonized groan as Elena yanked the fifth splinter out of his back. It was about the length of her foot, and it had been exceptionally easy to remove because it wasn't lodged too deeply. Fresh blood poured from the wound, but it slowed as quickly as it came. The jagged, uneven skin around the wound began to splice back together before Elena's eyes and she watched, mesmerized.

"Don't let it close back up!" Damon barked, whipping his head around to look at her. "You'll just have to keep opening it to get the deep pieces."

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry," she mumbled. Her hands had stopped shaking, but she had a queasy feeling in her stomach that lurched up to her throat every time Damon winced and clenched his fists to keep from crying out. The room was eerily quiet as she worked. Elena had removed all of the wood that she could easily see, but she knew that there were far more scraping against Damon's muscles below the skin. "Damon, I don't know how to go about this."

"Just do it quickly, and it will be easier. Use the sharp edge of the tweezers to peel the skin away with one hand and use the pliers to pull the pieces out with the other," he said dully.

Elena gulped audibly. She wasn't squeamish in any way. Her father had been a doctor. She'd had plenty of scrapes and broken bones as a child. There was just something about having to be the one to hurt Damon that put a lump in her throat.

"This is not how I pictured tonight playing out," he hissed as Elena dug the pliers in.

"How did you picture it going?" She asked. She clamped down on a piece of wood and tugged with all her might. It came flying out, and her body flung against the back of the couch with the force of her pull.

"I don't know, actually. Eating. Drinking some fine wine. Talking. Other things…"

"Well let's talk then. It'll help you focus on something other than the pain."

"You mean it will help _you_ focus on something else?" He said teasingly, reaching around to place a hand on Elena's trembling one.

"That too." She readied her tools for the next splinter. "What do you want to talk about?"

"What _don't_ I want to talk about is the better question," Damon replied. "Have you ever felt like you know so much, yet so little about a person?"

"Are you referring to me?" She asked incredulously. "There's not that much to know about me, Damon."

"Sure there is. There's a lot that I don't know about you that I'd like to."

"Like what?"

"Like… What's your favorite color?"

Elena snorted. " _That's_ what you want to know?"

"Hey, you asked what I wanted to know. I can ask the really personal questions about your deepest darkest secrets instead if that's what you'd prefer." Elena rolled her eyes. "Don't worry, we'll get to those," Damon said, and she tell he was grinning even though his back was to her.

"Purple," Elena said matter-of-factly. "My favorite color is purple. And not the light lilac colors either. The deep purples."

"I should have guessed that. You wear a lot of purple clothing," Damon said. A small smile fled across Elena's lips. It made her heart jump to think about the fact that he knew her well enough to pick up on small things like this.

"So what's your favorite color?" Elena asked.

"I don't have one," he replied with a shrug. He jumped as the movement caused Elena to dig the tweezers more deeply into one of his wounds.

"Sorry," she breathed and gently removed them from his skin. She put one hand on his shoulders to steady him and continued her work on his back. "Come on, seriously? Everyone has a favorite color."

"Colors aren't something I think about that often. If you couldn't tell, I mostly opt for everything black. But if I had to choose, I suppose I would say red."

"Why red?" Elena asked, already predicting the answer.

"It's a versatile color. It's used to depict many different emotions. Like anger, love, lust. And I like the fact that it has so many different shades and hues but is still considered one color."

"Hmm," Elena said thoughtfully. She was expecting him to say 'because it's the color of blood.' She mentally slapped herself. Was she really so shallow to think that he was capable of no opinions that weren't related to blood and death? "I never thought about it that way."

"Now you ask me something." Damon rolled his shoulders back and braced himself for Elena's next penetration on his aching back.

"Okay, umm… Where is your favorite place in the world?"

Damon sat quietly for a moment. "When you've been as many places as I, it's hard to choose." After another minute, he said, "Can I say Europe as a whole?"

"As long as you have an explanation to back up your answer," Elena replied.

"I like many different places in Europe for different reasons. The food in Italy is divine. Being a vampire has lessened my appetite for actual food greatly, but I still find myself craving the meals that I have eaten in the restaurants of Italy. I enjoy the architecture and arts in Rome. And although they're completely different, I enjoy the atmospheres of both Ibiza and Paris."

Elena was lost in thought imagining Damon exploring these places. Did he go by himself? Were they recent trips or from decades ago? With a start, she realized how simple her 20 years of life were compared to his 100.

"I would love to go. I've never left the country," Elena said quietly.

Damon turned around, once again forgetting that Elena needed to get at his back. "Then I'll take you." He locked eyes with her, and excitement burned in his. "I'll show you all the beautiful places this world has to offer."

"I would love that." They smiled at each other, and Damon turned back around. "When did you visit these places?"

"There have been multiple times. My first time was after the war, though. After seeing nothing but horror and destruction and death for months on end, I was determined to see the beauty of the world before I died." He shook his head. "I guess it's a little ironic that actually dying gave me all the time in the world to see it."

Elena smiled sadly and gripped another splinter with the pliers. "Think about it this way, most people say that you would need 100 lives to see all the world. You have that chance!"

Damon chuckled halfheartedly. "Where is your favorite place in the world, Elena?"

"My family's lake house," she replied without skipping a beat.

"And why is that?"

"It just has so many good memories. My family was all together. There was never any stress or worries. It was just a peaceful place that always made me happy."

"It's a very beautiful place. I'd like to go there with you sometime when my main focus isn't beating the life out of my brother," Damon said with a smirk. His expression then became soberly serious. "I'm sorry if our involvement in your life has created any tainted memories of that place for you, Elena. I want it to remain somewhere pure and happy."

"I like the memories I have there, new and old," she said softly. She grunted and pulled out another piece of wood. It clinked as it dropped into the bowl next to her on the couch. "My favorite place is nothing compared to yours. You must think I'm such a bore."

"Nonsense. I love that your fondest memories are with your family. I would assume that, had I had a loving set of parents, mine would be the same." He let out a small sigh and then changed the subject. "What is your favorite season?"

"Hmm… I've never been asked that before," Elena pondered. "Probably fall. I used to love the idea of school starting again. Seeing all my friends and football season… There was something so exciting about it all. And I love when the leaves change." She smiled and closed her eyes. She could almost feel the cool autumn air against her bare legs as she stood on the sidelines of the football field in her cheer uniform. "It's strange that everything is different this year." She realized that it actually was fall right now, but it didn't even feel like it. She hadn't joined cheerleading and was far too preoccupied with the supernatural to appreciate small things like leaves changing—something that used to make her very happy. "What's yours?"

"Winter. And before you ask, I don't know why. I have just always liked it."

"There has to be some sort of reason. Christmas? Snow?"

"I stop celebrating Christmas in the late 1800s," he scoffed. "Maybe it is the snow. But I've spent winters in tropical places that don't see a flake of it and have still enjoyed the winter season." Damon grunted as Elena dug at a deeply lodged piece of wood.

"I'm sorry." She gritted her teeth and planted on palm on his shoulder for bearings as she ripped the splinter out.

"If you apologize every time we're going to be here all night." He rolled back his shoulders and prepared for the next impact.

"Do you like animals?" Elena asked.

"Animals don't particularly like vampires. I did have a dog when I was human though. He was my best friend."

"I love dogs!" Elena said. "Jeremy and I always wanted one so badly but our mom was allergic. And so is Jenna." Damon was oddly quiet for a moment, so Elena tried to keep the conversation going. "What kind of dog?"

Damon took a deep breath. "A German Shephard. His name was Brando. It's kind of like the Italian word for brilliant. He was the smartest creature I've ever seen. He and I could travel for miles and I'd often forget what path to take, but he _always_ knew the way home."

"He sounds great," Elena said warmly.

"He was. Stefan was always jealous because Brando chose me as his master. He wanted a dog of his own, but he was too young."

"Brando Salvatore," Elena mused. "I like the sound of that."

"My father didn't," Damon replied coldly. "I found my dog beaten to death and buried under a mound of dirt in our back yard after my father thought that I stole his pocket knife. I didn't even take it."

Elena sucked in a quick breath. The last thing she wanted to do was bring up the memory of his father.

"I'm so sorry Damon. I… I can't even imagine."

"Yes, my father certainly was a piece of work. Since then I have never really felt any kind of connection to animals." Elena twiddled the wrench nervously in her fingers. She hated hearing stories of Giuseppe's cruelty.

"What kind of music do you listen to?" She asked tentatively.

"When you've been through all eras of music, you learn to have an appreciation for every type. I like rock, though. The 80s. That was my favorite decade, too."

"The 80s? No way that was your favorite decade."

"And why not?" Damon asked, turning around with a smirk.

"The horrid fashion! The hairspray that killed the ozone! The ridiculous eyeliner!" Elena listed incredulously.

Damon chuckled. "That's how the history books portray it at least, Miss Gilbert. You have to remember that I was actually there and you weren't. I spent most of the 80s blacked out drunk, partying. Kiss, Def Leppard, AC DC… they were some of the most insane people I've ever met. I followed them on their tours and had the time of my damn life. Oh and I didn't partake in the 'horrible fashion' that you spat about earlier. It was the greaser look for me. Messy hair and leather jackets."

"So kind of like now?" Elena said teasingly.

"Hey, my hair now is _stylishly_ messy. The 80s style was just plain messy."

Elena rolled her eyes and laughed. "I think I would have liked the 20s. I like the idea of the lavish parties and flappers and speakeasies."

"They were good times. However, prohibition wasn't as glamourous as the Great Gatsby makes it seem. Great book though. The movie pales in comparison."

Elena looked at Damon in wonder, trying to wrap her mind around the fact of just how old he was. It was easy to forget that he had over 100 years of experiences under his belt. It was almost silly for Elena to imagine him watching a movie about the 1920s when he had been there living it himself.

"I love Gatsby. It's beautifully tragic."

"As do I. I'm a sucker for the romantic tragedies." Elena raised her eyebrows and Damon raised his as well. "What, did you figure that was more of a Stefan thing? We might be very different, but we do share some similarities."

"I don't know. I just can't see you heading to the theater to see Romeo and Juliet."

"Au contraire. I actually played the role of Romeo in the theater."

" _You_ acted?"

"I was forced to. Stefan and I learned all our lessons from private tutors at home, and both of our parents were lovers of the fine arts. We were taught about every instrument to exist and memorized just about every Shakespearean act. I actually learned to enjoy it, though. There was something almost fun about captivating audiences by pretending to be someone on a page." Elena smiled at him thoughtfully. "Personally though, I enjoyed the physical lessons much more. Fencing and fighting and sports and even ballroom dancing."

"So that's where you learned to dance," Elena said. She felt her heart stutter and then pick up pace as she remembered the first dance that she and Damon had shared at the Founder's Ball. With a start, she remembered that she had another founder's event this on Saturday, and now no date to go with. She groaned audibly and her heart sank.

"What's wrong?" Damon asked.

"I was just thinking about the Founder's Ball and dancing and I remembered that I have to go to a Founder's event this weekend. It's the big black-tie affair that I absolutely loathe. You have to sit at a dinner for hours and listen to speeches from all the heads of the town's council. It's terribly painful."

"As those events always seem to be," Damon added.

"I was taking Stefan, but now he obviously can't go. They're going to throw a huge fit. They make these metal plated name place cards and a bunch of other extra stuff so changing guests is like yanking teeth out."

"Don't worry, I can compel whoever is in charge to change the list with no fuss."

Elena sighed with relief. "Thank you. I can't wait to be done with all of this."

"You're a member of one of the founding families of Mystic Falls, Elena. You're never going to be done with all of this. Look at me. I shirked my duties for 100 years and I still found myself back here as a member of the historical society today. Not even death can save you from the ridiculous founders."

Elena snorted. "It's so sad that that's actually true."

"Who will I be compelling them to change it to?"

Elena bit her lip. Going in public with Damon was a risky move. She wanted nothing more than for him to be on her arm, but she was already scrutinized by everyone so closely since she was a founder. She did not want them to think she was a brother-hopper. _Then again, who cares?_ She thought to herself. _I made this choice that's going to come with stares and judgement and consequences. Might as well go all out._

"You," she said confidently.

Damon's eyes locked with hers and she could see a mischievous glimmer in his bright blue irises. "Miss Elena Gilbert, are you inviting me as your date to one of the most snobby, high-class events in town? I can't promise that I'll behave, but I do graciously accept the invitation." He smirked and then pursed his lips at her.

"If I take you, you have to _promise me_ that you'll be on your best behavior. Anything that you do will be reflected on me, and if anything undesirable was pinned to the Gilbert name my parents would be rolling in their graves."

"Alright, I give you my word… that I'll try."

Elena sighed and looked down to examine Damon's back.

"How do you feel? I think I got everything."

Damon shifted around and flexed the muscles on his back and shoulders. Elena felt her mouth go dry and resisted the urge to reach out and caress them.

"I think you did too. I feel good as new." Elena watched as the last of the open wounds fused together. Damon stood up and looked at the blood stains on his hands and arms. "I'm going to get a shower quickly," he said, stepping towards his room. "If that's alright with you."

Elena nodded and picked up the bowl of splintered wood. "I'll clean this up."

"And I'm not nearly done asking you questions about yourself. We'll continue the conversation later."

She watched him turn to go into his room and disappear behind the dark door. He left it open, and she saw his dark jeans fly across the room as he tossed them off. Elena heard the creak of what she assumed to be his bathroom door and then the hiss of the shower turning on. She took a deep breath and turned toward the kitchen. A gentle patter of rain on the roof started as she walked quietly across the room and placed the bowl on the kitchen counter. She pulled open the cupboard below the sink and emptied the splinters into the trash can that sat inside. Some of Damon's blood had transferred from the wood onto the milky porcelain of the bowl, so Elena put it in the sink to soak. Unsure of what to do now, she found her feet carrying her towards Damon's open door.

She knew he wouldn't mind her being in there, but there was something thrilling about walking into Damon's spacious bedroom. The only time she had been in there before was for a fleeting moment to look for him because Stefan had asked her to check if he was home. She looked around and took everything in. His room was neat and simple, yet elegant and lavish at the same time. A giant, plush bed sat in the middle of the room against the wall. It had an elaborate headboard and footboard set made of dark wood. Intricate carvings laced the pillars that rose from the four corners of the bed. Elena ran her hand over them and felt the smooth grooves under her fingertips. An extravagant, deep red comforter was neatly tucked around the giant mattress, and pillows littered the top.

There were a few dressers and chests around the room that looked to be made of the same dark wood that the bed frame was. She found herself wanting to open the chests to see what kind of objects Damon kept. She decided it was in her best interest not to snoop. Resisting the urge, she turned away and sat down gently on the bed. It sank gently under her, and she laid back onto the comfortable blanket. She rolled around so she was lying on her stomach. Her fingers lazily traced the elaborate stitching as she looked into the steamy bathroom. The door was cracked, but not open enough for her to see Damon. She imagined him in the shower, steam rising all around him while droplets of water bounced off of his chiseled body. She found herself subconsciously pressing her thighs together to try and relieve some of the pressure that was building there because of that erotic thought. She desperately wanted to go in there and join him under that warm stream of water; to kiss and touch every inch of his beautiful body. She remained rooted to his bed, though. She still felt timid around him, and she didn't want to invade his privacy. At this thought, she almost laughed out loud. Wasn't he the one that walked in on her in one of her most private moments a few days ago?

Elena mustered up her courage and hopped off the bed. She tiptoed soundlessly into the bathroom. A huge, gold-embroidered, claw footed bathtub sat in the middle of the humid room. A marble sink with lavish soaps surrounding it took up almost an entire wall. The dark hardwood floor was slick with moisture, and Elena could see her feet leaving wet prints as she padded to the shower in the corner. She couldn't completely see through the frosty glass, but Damon's silhouette was clear as foggy clouds twisted around him. His arms were twisted around at awkward angles at what Elena guessed was an attempt to clean the blood off his back. She quietly slipped out of her sundress and thong and left them in a heap on the floor. The warm, heavy air caressed her now naked body, and she took a deep breath before grabbing the handle of the shower.

"Let me help you," Elena said as she pulled the door open towards her. Damon's head snapped around to look at her, and his eyes darkened with lust as he took in her appearance. She stepped into the shower with him and looked around. It was a lavish shower. It must have been large enough to fit at least 4 people comfortably inside. Streams and jets of water were coming from all different angles at all different speeds and patterns. She stepped closer to Damon and let a stream of water like heavy rainfall cascade over her head, wetting her hair and flowing down her body. Damon was unable to move his eyes from her as she neared him. His hand lifted as if to reach out and touch her, but she stopped him by placing a hand on his chest.

"Turn around," she murmured. He made a grunt of disapproval, not wanting to tear his eyes away from her, but a gentle push of her hand on his shoulder made him obey. He turned around slowly until his back was to Elena. He had done a terrible job of washing the blood off his back. She could still see the deep crimson steaks where he could not reach. She pulled a loofa off a hook beside her and applied soap from the nearby counter. She gently touched Damon's bicep with one hand and placed the loofa on his back with the other. She scrubbed in small circles, doing the same motion with her fingers on his arm. Damon rolled his neck and she felt his muscles relax under her touch. The water below their feet was splotched with stains of red as the remains of the attack were washed away.

"There," she whispered, taking a step back to look at her handiwork. The skin on Damon's back was spotless. Any trace of blood or cuts was completely gone.

"Thank you," he mumbled as he turned around to face her again. Water rained down over both of their bodies as they stood together under one of the streams. Damon stepped closer to her so that they were only inches apart. "Elena…" He reached up to gently cup her face with one hand and placed the other heavily on her hip. "I want to make you so, so happy." His hand trailed its way across her sensitive skin to rest on her lower back. "I promise that I will do everything in my power to give you everything that you deserve., for as long as I live. No matter what."

Elena smiled at him and placed her own hand over the one of his which was still on her face. "And I want to make you happy, too. I've been such a fool." She closed her eyes and leaned her head further into his touch. "You're everything I've ever needed."

She felt a light pressure on her cheek as he gently lifted her head to meet his lips. Their lips locked in a moment of sweet passion. The kiss was slow and burning. Elena closed the distance between them and crushed her body to his. Damon pulled her as close to him as possible, and her arms locked around his neck. Water cascaded over their faces as their mouths moved together in a dance of pure bliss. Damon was the one to break away from the kiss, and Elena dug her nails into his neck to protest.

"Hey," he murmured. He gently started walking backward and pushed Elena with him until her back hit the cool marble tiles of the wall. "I don't want you to drown."

Elena quickly twirled them around so that Damon's back was against the wall instead. She rammed her body into his and pressed her lips hard against the wet skin at the nape of his neck. His hands grabbed at her ass eagerly, and he let out a quiet moan. Elena smiled against his skin as she continued to place wet kisses around the base of his neck. She trailed her tongue up the length of his neck to his ear and whispered as she reached it, "You've had your way with me. Now I want my way with you."

Damon stared at her she bit her lip seductively. His chest was heaving and his lips slightly parted. He tightened his grip on her ass with one hand and moved the other to tangle itself into her dripping wet hair.

"I don't know if I have that kind of self-control right now," he purred.

"Well, you're going to have to," she replied with a sly grin. She craned her neck to place an agonizingly gentle kiss against his lips and let out a soft moan as the taste of his mouth lingered on her lips. The sound of her moan made Damon crazy with need. He tightened his grip in her hair and hungrily deepened the kiss. Their tongues battled for dominance. Elena gasped with surprise as Damon yanked down on the fistful of hair he was gripping. Her head fell away from his to expose her neck. Damon dove at it and placed gentle kisses across it before moving down to her bare chest, and then back up. He gently nibbled at the taut skin above her collarbone, and a rush of excitement flowed through her. She could feel his member pressing into her lower stomach, and she couldn't resist the urge to touch. Her fingers trailed down Damon's stomach to rest right below his hips. She could feel him leaning in towards her more, begging her to touch him. She happily complied.

Damon let out a small growl against Elena's neck as she gently caressed her fingers over his member. She grabbed the shaft and massaged circles into the head. He grew even harder under her hands. His grip on her hair loosened and his muscles relaxed, but her continued to kiss Elena's body. Their lips met again, and Damon groaned into her mouth as she took him in both of her hands. Her hands slid effortlessly over his shaft as the water from the shower continued to pour down his body. Elena could feel her core throbbing and was silently thankful that they were both soaking wet, otherwise Damon probably would have seen her juices dripping down her thighs. The sound of his moan overheated her skin, and she moved her hands faster across his length, twisting and turning them deftly to touch every inch of him. She dropped to her knees so that she was face to face with his giant member.

Before she could continue, Damon picked her up at lightening speed. He grabbed her at the waist and flipped her upside down so that he was holding her against his body. Her hair dangled down and touched the floor, and she squealed with surprise and delight.

"Put me down! My way, remember?" She said playfully, gripping the back of his thighs for safety.

"No," he replied simply. His reply sent shocks through Elena's body as she realized where this new position put her. She could feel his heady breaths puffing against her dripping center, and his speech sent a vibration down her inner thigh and straight to her core. He gently hoisted her up a little more so that her legs were sticking straight out behind his head. She felt jets of water hitting her heels from the other side of the shower. Damon pressed his face into her center and trailed his nose along her folds. He took in a deep breath and smiled with contentedness as Elena let out a whimper. His hot, wet tongue replaced his nose to trail along her folds, and she gasped loudly at the sensation. He continued his torturously slow and gentle laps against her, never going deep enough to touch her clit. She decided to repay the torture by doing a little teasing of her own. She stretched her back and leaned down, putting her face to face with his member once again. She flicked out her tongue to dance along the head, and he growled against her center. The sound sent vibrations through her again, and she threw her head back with a wave of pleasure.

She went back to work on his member and took as much of his shaft as possible into her mouth. Her tongue curled around his length as she bobbed her head up and down, almost taking him completely out of her mouth to flick and swirl his head with her tongue before plunging back down on the rest of him. Damon's grip on her hips tightened with every dip of her head, and his own pace began to pick up. Elena moaned loudly as his tongue plunged deep into her hot center. He licked back up the length of her folds to circle around her clit. His tongue moved quickly and skillfully, flicking at her clit at different rhythms and motions. The things he was doing with his tongue made it hard for Elena to concentrate on her task. Her whole body wanted to go limp with pleasure, but there was no way that he was going to make her go crazy again without feeling the same in return.

She dug her nails hard into his thighs, drawing blood. He hissed into her core and once again quickened his pace on her clit. Hoping that he had a strong hold on her so that she wouldn't fall, Elena released her grip on his legs to move her hands to his member. She gripped the part of his shaft that would not fit in her mouth with one hand and placed the other gently on his balls. She moved into overdrive with her head, turning her mouth with each bob of her head and churning her tongue around his length. They moved together in harmony, both shaking with pleasure and letting out moans as the other changed pace. Elena felt a ball of pleasure building in her stomach, and she knew that she was close. With another growl, Damon tightened his grip on her hips and pulled her body away from his. She lifted her legs straight up in the air as he flipped her back around so that her heels gently hit the ground. She felt the blood rush away from her head and back down to her body as she was placed right side up again. The sensation made her dizzy, and she clung to Damon's arms to keep from falling.

Damon placed sweet kisses on her head as he reached down to gently massage her. Elena's lips parted with silent whispers of pleasure as his middle finger dipped into her core slowly while his thumb continued to trace small circles around her clit. She locked her arms around his neck and used it as leverage to hoist herself up. She hopped up and wrapped her legs tightly around his waist as he continued touching her. Cold air hit her wet body, and she shivered. They had both been out of the warm streams of water for a while now, and the jets pounded on the floor behind them. Damon felt her shiver and walked her backwards so that the warm water once again streamed down her back.

Elena could feel Damon's member pressing against her near her core and an overwhelming need came over her. She reached down to grab his hands and remove his fingers, and he allowed her to without question. She watched with eyes hooded by lust as he pulled his now free hand up to his mouth and licked the fingers that had been inside her. He moaned with satisfaction at her taste, and Elena's vision blurred with desire. She reached down to grab his member and position it at her entrance. Just as she was about to release her grip and slide down on him, he lifted up on her thighs and pulled her away from him. She pouted at him and tilted her head questioningly.

He gave her a sexy grin that made her heart want to stop. "As much as I enjoy this position, there's no way that I'm going to allow our first time together to be anywhere except a comfortable bed," he crooned.

"Ah, chivalry is not dead," Elena replied teasingly. She nuzzled her head into his neck, and he stepped out of the shower, not even bothering to turn it off. Their bodies dripped and left a wet trail of puddles all the way to the bed as Damon carried her there. He gently placed Elena down and walked back into the bathroom. He came back with a plush towel and wrapped it around her shoulders, drying her gently. He moved the towel up and down her body sensually, never removing his eyes from hers. She smiled at him and looked away as her cheeks began to heat up. She couldn't believe that she was wanted by this beautiful man. The way he made her feel was indescribable. She felt like she was the only woman in the world.

Once she was dry, Damon quickly wiped the towel along his own body. Elena gazed at his rock-solid features in wonder. He truly was the most attractive person she had ever seen. His eyes glimmered with love and excitement as he looked down at her form resting on his bed. His muscles rippled as he lifted his hands above his head to rub the towel along his hair. He tossed it to the ground before climbing into the soft bed and lying next to Elena. They laid there for a few minutes, not speaking. Damon's hand was caressing Elena's hair, and hers was resting on his cheek. She desperately wanted to continue what they had started in the shower, but she was equally as content basking in the happiness of simply lying together. She couldn't seem to tear herself away from the awestruck look he was giving her.

"What's that look for?" She murmured with a small smile.

"I just… Can't believe that you're actually mine right now." He placed his hand on the side of her face and ran his thumb along her lips gently.

"Not just right now." She leaned into his hand and closed her eyes. "Forever."

Damon's breath hitched as her words sunk in. She had truly chosen him. His arms encircled her waist and he pulled her in to an embrace. Elena's lips met his, and they kissed in a haze of sweet contentment. The kiss deepened and Elena rolled over once again so that she was lying on top of Damon. She could feel his manhood getting hard again, and she grinned into the kiss. She gently bit his lower lip and pulled back before releasing it and licking her lips.

"You're so damn sexy, you know that?" he growled, slapping a hand on her ass and gripping her hip with the other. She smiled at him and rolled her eyes as she moved her legs to both sides of Damon to straddle him. His dick pushed against her core, which was already soaked again despite the fact that it was just dried by the towel. She reached between her legs and rubbed his head up and down her folds, teasing him. He groaned and bit his lip. "Please, Elena," he said weakly, voice laced with desire. "I need you. Now."

The sound of raw need in his voice was enough for Elena to concede. She stopped rubbing him across her length and positioned his head at her entrance. Her core was throbbing with excitement, and she looked down at the erotic scene. For a second, she was worried that he wasn't going to fit inside of her. He was huge. She locked eyes with Damon and gently slid his length inside of her. They both gasped and groaned at the sensation, and Elena threw her head back. She didn't move again for a few seconds, trying to allow her body to adjust to the huge addition that was inside of her. When she felt ready, she gently raised herself up off him and slid back down, taking more of his length inside of her this time. Her eyes widened with a combination of pain and pleasure, and she could feel herself being stretched to fit him.

"Here, slow down," Damon mumbled, grabbing Elena's hips. "I don't want you to hurt yourself." He gave her that crooked smirk that made her knees go weak, and she grinned back at him.

Damon used his hands to guide Elena's hips up and down gently. She rode him slowly and passionately, gasping as the pain went away and was replaced with mind warping pleasure. As she rode him and became more comfortable, she sat up more so that she could have a better angle on him. She looked down and realized with a gasp that she had managed to fit his entire length inside of her. She picked up her pace and placed her hands on his chest for support. He gripped her wrists and started bucking his hips to meet her rhythm.

"Oh, god. Damon," she moaned. She could feel him so deep inside of her that she wasn't sure how she wasn't ripping in two. She looked down at him. His lips were slightly parted and his breath was coming out in ragged gasps. His eyes were swirling with lust and love as he drank in the appearance of her bouncing on top of him. His hands moved from her wrists to grab her breasts, and he gently tugged on both nipples before massaging them tenderly. Elena cried out with the new sensation and rocked her hips faster.

She wanted to show Damon that she was worthy of his lust. Before they had slept together, she often thought about how many women he had been with in his long lifetime and how she would ever impress him. Any doubt that she had about her ability was erased as she looked into his eyes. She realized that while the sex was amazing, it was made even better by the fact that he loved her. Still, she wanted so badly to please him and be one of the best he'd ever had. Reluctant to do anything that caused this pleasure to stop for even a second but determined to make Damon go crazy, she sat the whole way up on her knees and abruptly removed herself from his length so that she could turn around and continue riding him backwards. Damon moaned in approval and interlocked her hair between his fingers as she slowly slid back down onto him. This new position offered an entirely different angle for him to hit, and she gasped with ecstasy once again.

Damon took a little more control this time. He yanked down on her hair, snapping her neck backwards and sending a sweet shock wave down her neck. He tugged harder as he hooked his fingers under Elena's hip bone for better grip on her body and began pounding into her. All traces of the slow, sensual riding from the earlier position were erased as inhuman growls ripped out of Elena's chest. Damon was fucking her so hard that she was surprised she could even breathe. His hand on her hip was the only thing keeping her from flying off the bed with the force of his blows. Elena's eyes rolled back and she cried out, gripping at the comforter so tightly that she heard the fabric rip.

"Damon, I'm—I'm going to," she gasped out. Her vision was getting black and she could feel her muscles tensing with anticipation.

"Come for me baby," he moaned, continuing to wail into her with no sign of slowing down.

Elena screamed out as she reached her high. Stars exploded across her eyes and for a moment she could feel nothing but pure pleasure rippling through every inch of her body. She threw her head back and felt Damon release her hair from the tight grip it had been in the entire time. Damon was still thrusting into her as she came, but he slowed his pace from animalistic to sensual sex god. He pumped deeply and slowly into her, taking his time with each stroke. Elena rode out her orgasm before climbing off of him landing in a sweaty heap on the bed at Damon's feet.

"Damon," she whined. "I told you that this was going to go my way."

"When will you learn that I always get _my_ way," he said wish a devilish grin.

Elena's body was still shaking, but she didn't need any time to rest. Damon's cock was still rock hard and sticking straight up in the air, practically inviting her to hop back on. She looked at Damon with her own sly grin before turning around and getting onto her knees. She was still at his feet, but now her back was to him. She arched her back and slid her face down onto the smooth comforter. Her cheeks were spread wide, and Damon had a perfect view. She could hear his breath catch in his throat as she reached under herself to drag her fingers up and down her folds. She could feel her wetness travelling all the way down to her thighs from her first orgasm. She wiggled her ass in the air and removed her fingers from her shaking center to motion for Damon to come to her. She couldn't see him since her face was down on the bed and her back was to him, but she felt the bed rock as he jolted up and crawled toward her.

She felt one hand position itself on her hip and he used the other hand to rub his cock up and down her folds. He pressed the head into her clit at the top and gave her a jolt, and at the bottom he only pushed himself inside of her an inch. Elena squirmed and tired to lean back on him so that she could take more of his length, but the hand firmly planted on her hip held her in place.

"You're a tease," she mumbled, voice muffled by the comforter.

"I'm the tease?" Damon said with a scoff. "Who is the one who was just playing with herself, ass up in the air? You can't tease me like that and expect nothing in return."

Before Elena could respond, Damon thrust into her. She squealed with delight as she felt her muscles that were still tensed from her orgasm stretch around him. He pumped in and out of her at an agonizingly slow pace. With every stoke, she could feel his huge dick pressing against her walls. Damon moaned at the feeling, and Elena could tell that he was having a hard time keeping this slow pace when all he wanted to do was fuck her senseless.

"Please," she groaned, flipping her face around so that her cheek was on the bed. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Damon's fingers splayed across the bare skin of her hips.

"Please what?" He purred.

"You know what I want."

"Do I?"

"Are you seriously going to make me beg?"

"That's what I've been waiting for. I want to hear you say it." Damon curled his fingers around her hip bones and pressed hard along the smooth muscle. Elena's body jerked and a sharp pin of pleasure shot down to her core.

"Please, Damon," she whimpered. "I want you to fuck me."

Damon needed no more persuasion. He plunged into her again but at a quicker pace this time. The sound of Elena's soft moans filled the room as she closed her eyes and got lost in the feeling of him inside of her. With every stroke, she felt like her body was being filled to the brim. Damon started moaning himself, and the sound itself was enough to make Elena want to cum again. Her body was jerking forward with his quick and hard pace, and she reached out to pace a hand on the footboard so that she wouldn't smack it with her head. They continued with this position for a few minutes. Elena's breath started picking up, and she knew that she was close to her second climax. Damon groaned as he felt her muscles start to tense around him, and he pulled out right before she was sent spiraling over the edge.

"Come here," he breathed, gently pulling on Elena's hips and twisting her around. His breathing was labored and his bright eyes were still darkened with desire. He pulled her back up to the top of the bed and laid her head down on the pillows before splitting her knees with his hands and moving so that he was positioned between them. He put one elbow beside her arm to hold his weight and caressed her cheek with the other. Elena's eyelashes brushed against his jawline as she leaned up to place a light kiss on his neck.

Damon put a hand under her chin and gently pulled her face up to his. He kissed her passionately, and Elena's thoughts swirled in her head. The lust and love packed into one simple kiss made her dizzy. She felt his hand remove itself from her face and travel down to position himself at her entrance once again. He pressed his body against hers and plunged into her again. Elena moaned into his mouth. The feeling of his lips on hers and his bare skin touching every inch of her body put goosebumps on her arms. She kicked her legs up to wrap them around his waist, and her hands went over his shoulders to rest on his back. She felt his muscles ripple as he supported his weight on his forearms and continued plunging into her, and she dug her nails into his skin.

Their kisses lost their sweet tenderness and became hard and desperate as Elena felt her muscles begin to clench again. Damon was moaning her name in her ear between every kiss, and she scratched her nails up and down his back. Elena screamed with wild pleasure and broke away from his kiss as he pounded into her with astonishing speed that could definitely only be achieved by a vampire. She felt the familiar sensation of him hitting her G-spot, and her eyes rolled back.

"Yes! Right there!" She cried. Her legs were shaking uncontrollably and every muscle in her whole body was wound tight with pleasure. She arched her back and pressed her breasts firmly to Damon's chest and locked a hand in his hair, gripping at it madly as his eyes devoured her wild face.

She screamed out Damon's name as her world exploded into a hot lava of overwhelming pleasure. She came hard, and the contractions of her walls from her orgasm sent Damon over the edge as well. She barely felt his hot seed filling her as stars formed in front of her vision. Her mind was overtaken with euphoria, and she clung to Damon's back. Damon removed himself from inside her and rolled over to his side so that his weight was not on her. She resisted the sudden loss of contact, wanting to stay in this position forever. They were both panting and drenched in sweat. Elena's hair clung to her face, and she pushed it out of the way so she could look at Damon as she continued to come down from her high.

They laid together in silence. There was no need for words, and Elena was glad because she felt like she still wasn't with it enough to say anything. Damon's eyes were locked on hers as if he was trying to read her mind. She started intently back at him and smiled softly. Damon laid on his back and pulled her to his chest. Elena nuzzled her head into the crook of his neck and tossed a long leg across his waist lazily.

"So missionary is the one that did you in, huh? I never would have expected that from Damon Salvatore," Elena teased.

"Maybe if we would have _started_ with missionary like normal people then we could have ended in some crazy Kama Sutra position," he replied, rolling his eyes and smirking at her. "But then again, we're far from normal." He looked down into her eyes again and grabbed her hand. "You're extraordinary, Elena."

She grinned like an idiot into his chest. She could feel butterflies in her stomach and her heart leaped at the fact that she was able to pleasure someone like Damon. He was the sexiest man in the world to her (and probably anyone with eyes), and he only wanted her.

"Damon?" She said quietly.

He looked down at her questioningly and she snuggled her face more firmly into his chest.

"I love you."

Elena had been wanting to say those words to him for a long time, even back when she didn't realize it. Every fiber of her being yearned for his love and affection, and she knew this was right. Hearing herself say the words out loud came as a little bit of a shock, but she was glad that she did. She wanted him to know how she felt about him. After all this time of bottling it up inside, she felt every feeling for him that she hid flow out of her like a river.

Damon's breath caught in his throat, and she heard him swallow hard. His grip on her shoulder tightened, and he kissed the top of her head.

"I love you too, Elena."

Elena smiled and hooked her fingers around his shoulder. She could barely keep her eyes open, and her sleepiness increased even more as Damon smoothed her hair with his fingers. She drifted off to sleep to the sound of Damon's soft breathing in her ear, knowing that this was where she was meant to be all along.


	6. Chapter 6

Elena huffed with exasperation as her fingers fumbled on the small clasp of her necklace. She was getting ready for the founder's dinner event, which she was very much dreading, and nothing was seeming to go her way. It had been raining all day, and the humidity in the air made her hair, which she had envisioned falling in loose curls down her back, frizzy and tangled. The heaviness of the air pulled on the curls and made them look more like awkward waves. She had been fumbling with this damn necklace for five minutes, and her already thin patience was nearly at its breaking point. She sighed and stared down at her gown strewn across her bed. It truly was beautiful. If nothing else went right today, at least she knew that she could count on the dress. It was obsidian black with small specks of glitter scattered throughout the fabric. Every time Elena moved, it would shimmer lightly. The sweetheart neckline in the front cut sharply down the sides and dipped so low in the back that the dress was completely backless. A high slit cut through the fabric on the right thigh. It was edgy, but elegant. Caroline had bought it for prom last year but decided that it didn't complement her fair complexion, so she gave it to Elena.

A soft knock on her door made Elena look up from her transfixion on the dress.

"Come in!" She called.

Aunt Jenna tentatively peeked her head around the corner of the doorframe. "I heard a groan of frustration that could only mean wardrobe malfunction or hair problems. Can I help?"

"Actually, yes. I'm a disaster." Elena slumped down onto her bed and pointed to her hair. "Can you do something about this?"

"Curls will never work with this kind of weather. Can I just straighten it for you?" She walked over and examined the dress beside Elena. She whistled and widened her eyes. "Although in this thing, I don't think anyone is going to be looking at your hair."

Elena laughed. "It's gorgeous, isn't it? It's from Caroline."

"Beyond gorgeous. Don't you think it's a little much for a just a founder's event?"

"Not really. It might seem a little extra, but these events are pretty much just an excuse for the rich to buy the most lavish outfits they can find and show them off."

"Huh. That's sad. I haven't been to one in years, but they certainly didn't use to be like that. I guess people actually cared about the town back in the good old days." Jenna plugged in Elena's flat iron and motioned for her to sit on the bench in front of her vanity.

Elena stared at her reflection in the mirror as the tool heated up. Her skin had a healthy glow to it and her eyes were bright and alert. She had been getting a lot of sleep in the comfort of Damon's arms for the past week. Ever since that night they had slept together for the first time, Elena felt like a new person. She found that every thought in her head was churning around nothing but Damon. She couldn't concentrate in school. She practically ran out before the last bell even rang each day to find Damon leaning against his Camaro waiting for her with that sexy signature smirk on his face. They had been keeping things lowkey, so they didn't touch in the parking lot. But as soon as they were a few miles off the main road, it was like a switch was flipped. Damon often had to pull over to keep from crashing as Elena pounced on him. She couldn't get enough of him, and he couldn't get enough of her. They hadn't done much but lay around in his bed all evening until she had to go home. She would always greet Jenna and Jeremy and feign exhaustion before letting them know that she was going to bed. She knew as soon as she opened the bedroom door, Damon would already be waiting for her. Today was the first time that she hadn't seen him all day, and her entire body was filled with an unfamiliar ache that could only be yearning for his presence.

It had been a week since Stefan and Caroline had left for the first lead in Pittsburgh. Lexi was still nowhere to be found, but it didn't seem to matter to Caroline. The excitement of leaving Mystic Falls overshadowed any thoughts she might have about the true meaning of the mission. She texted Elena with updates every day. Most of the updates, however, were about the exciting bars, restaurants, and shops they stopped at to ask around for sightings of Lexi and the sightseeing she did along the way. Elena was sure that Caroline would make Stefan stay a little longer than necessary at each place so that she could have some fun. No news of Lexi or Rebekah was shared except for a quick _she's not here._ Stefan, on the other hand, only called to check in once. The details that he gave were almost as vague as Caroline's, and he seemed preoccupied. Their phone call was short and awkward. Elena's uneasiness grew at the fact that while she was on the line with him, Stefan's brother was only inches away waiting for her to return to his embrace.

Elena knew that it wasn't fair to continue on with Damon without cutting things off with Stefan first, but while her heart was filled with her new love for Damon, it was breaking with each thought of betrayal that Stephan would feel. Every time she found herself panicking about the situation, she would take a deep breath and remind herself that she made this choice. It was difficult and scary and it is most definitely going to hurt someone that she cares about, but she couldn't cower behind Damon when in reality, it was her that made the decision and it was only fair that she was the one who had to face the consequences. She knew that even though ending her relationship with Stefan immediately was the right thing to do, she couldn't bring herself to add another bad thing to his plate when he was already worried about Lexi. She made a pact that the moment she saw him in person again would be the moment that she explained her feelings to him. She also wanted to make sure that he knew that their breakup was because of her feelings for Damon, not Stefan's ripper side. Although that night that he attacked scared her, she knew that blaming the separation on that would send Stefan into a frenzy. He already brooded and self-loathed enough, Elena could only imagine how much worse that would become if she didn't try to honestly explain why she was leaving him.

"So," Aunt Jenna's voice pulled Elena out of her own thoughts. "When is Stefan going to be here to pick you up?"

"Oh, he's actually… um… out of town," Elena bit her lip and looked down. "Damon's going with me instead."

"Oh," Jenna replied. Her smile wavered for a second, but she quickly put it back into place. "That's a shame. Where did he go?"

"A family friend isn't doing well, apparently. He went to Seattle to see her." That wasn't really a lie, right?

"A family friend? Why isn't Damon going too then?"

"I'm not really sure. I just think Stefan and the friend are a lot closer. Her name is Lexi."

"I see." Jenna ran the flat iron down Elena's hair and steam rose to fog up the mirror in front of them. "Matt wasn't able to go?"

"He already had a date by the time I found out that Stefan couldn't go," Elena lied. She could tell that her aunt didn't completely dislike Damon, she was just very wary of him ever since she saw Katherine kiss him on their porch. Of course, Jenna didn't know it was Katherine and not Elena, so she just thought that Damon was trying to take his brother's girl… Which wasn't exactly a lie, when Elena really thought about it.

Jenna sighed. "You know I like to stay out of your business as much as possible, Elena, but I'd feel like a terrible guardian if I didn't try to give you the 'sexy bad boys are no good for you' talk."

Elena laughed and looked up at Jenna. "I'll spare you the awkwardness and tell you that I already know that all too well. Don't worry about me Aunt Jenna." Jenna smiled down at her and continued smoothing down her hair with the straightener. "And Damon actually isn't the big bad guy that he paints himself out to be. Spending time with Stefan means that I spend time with him too, and trust me… you'd be surprised by who he actually is."

"I'll take your word for it. I had my share of those types in college and that's why I was a pothead in grad school. I'll take on the role of lame old aunt and stick to my safety net of town barflies."

Elena and Jenna chuckled together, and Elena smiled warmly at her. She didn't tell her enough, but she truly was thankful for Aunt Jenna's presence. She filled a piece of the void that was left behind by her parents, and she put her whole life on hold to do so. She hoped Jenna knew just how much she appreciated her sacrifices.

"There," Jenna said, stepping back and admiring her work. "Perfect. Straight will go better with the style of your dress anyways. It's very sleek."

"Thank you so much." Elena gazed in the mirror to look at her pin-straight hair cascading down her shoulders.

"No problem," Jenna beamed back at her and turned towards the door. "I'm going to hang out with Jer. Yell if you need me."

Elena grabbed her phone and checked the time. It was 5:30, and Damon was supposed to pick her up at 6. She let out a nervous squeal and flew to the vanity to finish her makeup. She wasn't sure why she was nervous. She had been to 100 of these events over her lifetime, and all they did was bore her and further prove that the "elites" of the town were nothing but gossips and show offs. She supposed that maybe she was nervous (but more excited) to be going with Damon. She was praying that he behaved, but at the same time it was exhilarating to her that he might not. Damon's unpredictable, sexy nature that used to irritate her to no end now made her mouth water. The time they spent together was exciting and always had a bit of an edge to it, and Elena was looking forward to seeing how it played out when they were somewhere that she was supposed to be perfectly prim and proper.

Once her makeup was finished, she quickly stripped and shimmied into the gown. The dress was skin tight, and it clung to her in all the right places. She stared at her reflection in the mirror, reveling at how this dress seemed to turn her from a sweet, innocent girl to a daring vixen. She was mesmerized by the sheen of the fabric as she twirled with delight. A swift knock on her door made her jump and come back to reality.

"Come in," she said, taking one last glance at her reflection in the mirror. She gulped, and the familiar feeling of nervousness returned to her stomach. She still couldn't quite put her finger on why she was feeling this way. Maybe it was because Damon had never seen her dressed up like this. Sure, he saw her in a gown for the Miss Mystic Falls Pageant and a colonial dress for the Founder's Day Celebration, but this was a completely different ballpark. She fidgeted with her hair as the doorknob turned.

"I heard Jenna and Jeremy in the back yard, so obviously I just let myself in. I—" Damon immediately stopped speaking as he pushed open the door and saw Elena. She heard his words catch in his throat, and his bright blue eyes seemed to dazzle even brighter as he drank in her appearance. Elena stared back at him in silence, feeling the blood rush to her cheeks. She was used to people looking at her, but she would _never_ get used to the way that Damon Salvatore looked at her. The things that he could do to her with just his eyes made her stomach do excited flip-flops. "Elena," He whispered, taking a slow step towards her. "That… dress…"

"It's way too much isn't it?" Elena said hastily, unsure of the where the sudden uncertainty about her attire came from. "Jenna thought the same thing but I told her that it would be fine because everyone dresses up. I think I still have something else that I haven't worn yet." She turned toward her closet but was stopped by Damon's hand reaching out to grab her wrist as quickly as a lightning strike.

"That's not what I was going to say," he said. His voice was low and he looked Elena up and down once again. "I was going to marvel at the fact that I've never seen a piece of clothing that I've appreciated so much, but also wanted to rip to shreds at the same time." He licked his lips hungrily and pulled Elena's body to his. He rested one hand on her hip and put the other behind her back. His eyes widened in surprise as his hand brushed against her bare skin where he no-doubtedly expected the fabric to continue. He kept his hand on her hip and slowly circled around her to look at the back of her dress. He made a noise of approval and trailed his finger tips along her spine. She jumped at the sudden sensation and felt goosebumps raise on her arms. Damon circled her once again, and then a second time, all the while looking her up and down and lightly touching her body. Elena's nerves were alive with electricity, and her cheeks burned with a blush again. She felt like Damon was a predator stalking his prey. The thought (which should have scared her) felt animalistic and sexy, and made her knees weak with desire. She sucked in a deep breath. Damon does things to her that make her question if she even knows who she is anymore.

"I don't think that we should go to this dinner anymore," he purred into her ear from behind her. Elena gasped as he roughly pulled her body back to lean against his. She could feel the hard muscles of his chest even under his suit jacket and button-down shirt. His hands roamed from her neck to her shoulders and then down the length of her arms, gently massaging every inch of her skin.

"Damon," she said, trying to sound disapproving even though her body was already betraying her by melting into his touch. "We absolutely have to go."

"If you think there's any chance of me behaving tonight when you're looking like this…" Damon just chuckled and shook his head. He leaned his head forward to kiss the back of Elena's neck, and she moaned appreciatively. He planted light kisses along the length of her neck, stopping right where it met her shoulder to gently lick and suck on her sensitive skin. Elena closed her eyes and reflexively tilted her neck to the side, tossing back her hair to give him more room. He took the invitation eagerly, sucking and nipping at the newly exposed skin. When she opened her eyes, she realized that they were positioned right in front of the mirror. Damon was occasionally looking up to see her expression in the reflection. She could feel the wetness pooling between her legs as she watched Damon making love to her neck with his mouth. His sensual, yet predatory eyes flicked up at her every time she mewled with pleasure, and it made her unable to look away. She felt his tongue drag across her carotid artery, and her eyes widened in excitement. She reached up and grabbed Damon's head roughly, keeping him in place. He continued his torturously soft teasing on her neck, and Elena felt her pulse racing. Damon grazed his teeth across her neck, and she felt his sharp canines scrape against her skin. She gasped with delight and pushed her neck tightly against his mouth.

Damon pulled back roughly, much to Elena's dismay. She could see very faint bluish veins appearing below his eyes. "Be careful," he whispered huskily, holding her close to his body but also at a safe enough distance so that her pulsing neck was no longer on his teeth. Elena tried to get her ragged breathing to return to normal. Her eyes were fixated on the tiny, barely-visible scratches that Damon had left on her neck when she had pushed against him.

"I'm sorry, did I scare you?" He asked softly, following her gaze to the small wounds. Elena felt herself shake her head vigorously, not even fully aware that she was doing it. She was very confused about what she was feeling. The funny thing was, Damon hadn't scared her at all. If anything, she wanted him to bite her. _What?_ She thought to herself incredulously. There is no way that she wanted Damon to bite her. Even the thought felt dirty and wrong. Drinking blood was what vampires did to feed and kill, not something for sexual sport.

Damon's expression changed from one of concern to one of curiosity. He reached up and gently touched the scrapes. "You wanted me to bite you, didn't you?" Elena didn't answer him, but her racing heart was all the evidence he needed. Elena bit her lip and tried to keep her emotions off of her face. "Hmm," he moaned, inspecting her neck. "I had no idea that you were into that. I would have never expected."

"Into what?" She asked defensively.

"Biting, obviously," he replied. Her cheeks burned even brighter, and he cocked his head to the side. He studied her reflection for another second before anger and jealously flared up in his features. Elena was taken aback at the sudden change of mood. "Where did he take the blood from you?" He asked quietly.

"What?" She didn't understand what he was asking. Her heart was still pounding from the erotic moment before, and she was finding it hard to focus.

Damon gave her a look as if she was supposed to know what he was talking about. When Elena just stared at him blankly, he sighed and said, "Stefan. Did he draw the blood directly from your neck?"

Elena felt like her whole body was on fire from embarrassment. She looked down at the floor and pressed her lips together. She thought that Damon might have gotten the wrong idea from this moment. She also really didn't want to talk about his brother's sexual tendencies with him.

"Oh, um… Stef-… he never did that. He never drank from me." Elena saw his eyes narrow and she quickly added, "In the way that you're talking about, I mean."

Damon's look of envy and irritation melted away and turned into something that looked like relief mixed with burning desire. "Oh…" He looked into her eyes in their reflection in the mirror quietly. "I just assumed. My apologies."

"That's not something I would do," she shot back defiantly, not sure if she said it to try and convince him or herself.

"Elena," he breathed. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her body against his again. "Firstly, I hope you know that I wouldn't pressure you into anything you didn't want to do. If I do recall, however, you are the one who just attached your internal carotid to my mouth and held me in place like your life depended on it." Elena refused to meet his eyes and her throat constricted with embarrassment. "It's nothing to be ashamed of. Why do you feel that way?"

"I don't know. It just freaked me out a little bit. Why would I want you to hurt me?"

Damon studied her for a moment and then burst out in laughter. Elena looked up at him, surprised at the outburst. "Oh, Elena. Now I understand." He turned her around so that he could actually look into her eyes instead of the reflection. "Here's the thing. I understand why Stefan never shared this kind of intimacy with you. He has very poor self-control. He also fights who he is and tries to deny everything about his nature." He roughly grabbed Elena's ass and squeezed tight, causing her to gasp. "I choose to embrace it. Drinking during sex or foreplay can actually be a very pleasurable event for both parties involved. It's nothing like feeding."

"Wait, so having someone pull blood out of your body can feel… _good?"_

"Could you make it sound any more revolting?" He said, rolling his eyes. "Yes, it can feel good. I would even go far enough to say that it feels unbelievably good. Euphoric. _Orgasmic_." His eyes lowered and a dangerous grin spread across his face.

Elena could feel her heart rate picking up again. She couldn't believe that her body was responding this way to something that should terrify her.

"I'll show you sometime. But only if you want," he purred. He brushed a piece of hair off of her cheek and put a hand under her chin to lift her eyes to his. "You should know that most women don't get the chance to choose, but I'm sure you're aware that I have quite the soft spot for you."

"Now," she whispered. Her eyes widened as she heard the words flying out of her mouth. "I want you to show me now."

Damon took a deep breath and continued to gaze down into her doe eyes. "As much as I just expressed that I'd like to stay here and break every piece of furniture in this room with you, I do believe that we have a dinner party to catch. And we're already—" He looked down at the heavy Rolex hanging on his wrist. "10 minutes late on your very strict and detailed schedule of events."

Elena sighed. Her body was burning with desire for Damon. She did not know how she was going to last through this entire event without flipping the table and straddling him in front of the entire founding family lineage. She leaned heavily on his chest and pouted.

"Oh how the roles have reversed," he chuckled.

"Let's go," she mumbled. She stood up and checked her reflection in the mirror. Her dress was riding up from Damon's groping hands, and every inch of her exposed skin was flushed to have a pinkish hue. She took a deep breath, silently begging her complexion to cooperate and return to its regular olive tint by the time they reached the hall.

"Did I mention that you look absolutely stunning?" Damon said, reaching out to help her fix her dress and flashing her a devilish grin.

She smiled back at him and grabbed her shoes off the bench by her window. They walked hand in hand out the door and down the stairs, heading towards Damon's car.

The car ride to the hall in town square was excruciating. Damon put his hand through the high slit on her dress and rested it on Elena's inner thigh the entire way there. She squirmed with apprehension the whole time. His touch was driving her insane. At one point, she was so frustrated that she pretended to stretch her legs and shifted her weight to try and get his hand to fall onto her aching core. It stayed firmly in place on her thigh, and she huffed angrily. Damon had a smirk plastered on his face for the entire journey, as if he was enjoying Elena's utter sexual frustration.

After what felt like hours, they finally reached the crowded parking lot. Damon pulled in and parked on the far end, a good distance from the crowds gathered at the doors. Elena stepped out, eager to feel the cool air on her overheated skin. She took a deep breath and leaned against the car, closing her eyes. She had to get herself under control.

Her eyes snapped open as she felt Damon's body pressing hers tightly against the car. He licked his lips, and look that he was giving Elena made her gulp.

"Elena, I did plan on at least attempting to behave tonight for your sake. But you're making it extremely hard for me to do so when I can smell your arousal coursing off of you like perfume." He leaned in and took a deep breath next to her neck. "It's driving me absolutely insane."

Elena let out a small whimper and reached out to place her hands on Damon's chest. "I can't help it," she whispered. As she gripped at Damon's shirt, she dropped the clutch purse that she was holding in one hand. It clattered to the ground at her feet, but she didn't even seem to notice. She was locked into Damon's enthralling gaze. He took a step back from her and bent down to pick it up. As he lowered himself to the ground, he dragged his hand down the exposed skin of her leg. She bit her lip, feeling as though his fingers left a trail of fire wherever he touched. She gasped loudly as he came back up. He replaced his hand with his face, stopping at the end of the slit to nudge the fabric aside with his nose and place a gentle kiss dangerously close to her core. "Damon!" She hissed. She felt him smile against her thighs and pull away, continuing to stand back up and handing her the purse.

"You dropped this," he stated matter-of-factly. Elena took it from him without a word. A cold breeze touched her overheated skin like a slap to the face, and she suddenly came back to the realization that they were outside in a very public place. She looked around frantically to see if anyone was watching Damon torture her. The crowds at the doors had thinned, and now only a few stragglers waited at the entrance. Their backs were all turned to Damon and Elena, looking into the hall. She sighed with relief, hoping that the deep breath would also calm her excitement from what Damon was doing to her.

"I can't do this," she whispered.

"Sure you can. You attend these sorts of shindigs all the time Miss Gilbert."

"That's not what I mean. You're driving me wild, Damon."

"Well then, I suppose that it will be a wild night then, won't it?" Damon's eyes sparkled mischievously. He grabbed Elena's hand and towed her towards the front doors.

"Our next speaker will be Rachel Modzel. She is an up-and-coming architect from San Antonio, Texas. Rachel has some wonderful ideas about how to update the buildings in our town without losing the historical charm that we've all come to know and love. Let's give her a hand." Mrs. Lockwood gave a dazzling smile as she clapped and stepped away from the microphone. A petite, blushing redhead rose from one of the seats at the front table and walked towards the stage to take her place.

"Wow, thanks for the warm welcome, everyone!" She said, fumbling as she tried to lower the microphone. "That's what I love so much about historical towns. Not only are the buildings beautiful and unmatched by any other architectural advances that we've made over the years, but the people are just as rich in personality and kindness. There are so many—"

Elena tried to suppress her sigh as she leaned back in her chair. It was about two hours into the dinner, and her attention span was growing thin. There had been 4 speakers already, all of whom were bright-eyed entrepreneurs of some sort who promised to bring such great things to the town if these rich idiots poured funding into their projects. The tables at the event were round and lavishly decorated. A deep purple tablecloth draped down to almost touch the floor, and Elena's crossed legs disappeared under the billowing fabric. Empty plates littered the table as they were on their second round of the meal. Seated around the table were Jeremy, Matt, Tyler, Alaric, and a few adults that Elena didn't really know other than the fact that they were related to the Forbes. Damon was seated to her right. His chair was pulled in a little closer to Elena's side than all the others. He was sipping on his wine and cast Elena a sideways glance as she propped her head up with her hand. Much to her surprise (and disappointment), Damon had been a perfect gentleman all night. He made polite conversation with the other adults at the table, had a few laughs with Alaric, and even didn't banter with Matt or Tyler. He had stayed a gracious distance away from Elena throughout the night, but she noticed his chair inching closer and closer to hers when no one was paying attention.

"Is it possible to die from boredom?" Elena whispered lowly. She knew that no one would hear her but Damon.

"Sadly, I don't think so. If it was, we all would have dropped like flies as soon as the first speaker was over," he whispered back. He had to speak a little bit louder than Elena so that she could hear him, and Alaric looked over at him and chuckled.

Alaric leaned in towards them and whispered, "Do you mean to tell me that you don't enjoy learning about asbestos reduction while keeping structural integrity? I don't even know who are you anymore, Damon."

Damon snorted and coughed into his elbow to try and play off the sound. Elena let her mind wander. She would rather be just about anywhere else in the world. This event was worse than any lecture she has ever had to sit through. She had a lot of assignments that she was putting off. She should have brought her homework and plopped it right on the table to work on. Would that be disrespectful? At this point, she didn't even care. As she ran through the list of due dates in her brain, another image of the reason for her procrastination flooded her mind. If she wasn't laid up with Damon all evening, she might have more time for her work.

 _Laid up with Damon._ She groaned internally. She was doing so well with suppressing her animal need for his touch during this dinner. _Up until now,_ she thought. She closed her eyes to try and clear her mind, but all that did was allow for memories of his naked body to flash behind her eyelids. She could feel her heart rate picking up at the thought of his mouth caressing her body, and she instinctively pressed her crossed legs tighter together to try and relieve some of the pressure that was building at her core at an alarming rate.

The feeling of a hand on her leg made her jump a little and return to reality. She looked around the table and blinked hard, hoping that she hadn't fallen too deeply into her own thoughts to where her frustration was written on her face. No one seemed to notice. Matt was poking at some vegetables with his fork. Tyler was staring at the phone hidden between his legs. The adults were pretending to stare attentively at Rachel the architect. Her eyes swept over to Damon. He was staring straight ahead at the stage as well, but his hand placed on her thigh let her know that he was more than aware of her daydreaming. She felt her body relax at his touch, but the burning desire in the pit of her stomach would not subside. _God,_ she thought, _what is he doing to me?_ Never before had she felt need this strong (and this often). It was like she had no control of her body.

Damon's fingers pressed lightly into her thigh, and he rubbed small circles on her exposed skin. The slit in the dress rode up when she sat, almost exposing her hip bone. She had placed a large cloth napkin precariously over her lap so nothing too risky was exposed, which Damon slid his hand under to touch her. She felt herself inch closer to his side, and the legs of her chair squeaked loudly as they scraped across the floor. Elena felt herself blush and snapped her head to the stage to pretend like she was paying attention. She hoped no one noticed how close she was sitting to Damon. His fingers continued their slow massaging, and Elena's eyes widened as she realized that with every stoke, he moved toward her core ever so slightly. She pressed her legs even more tightly together and looked at him sternly. He continued looking straight ahead as if he didn't even notice her, but the small smirk playing on the corner of his lips betrayed his façade.

Elena's breath caught in her throat as Damon's fingers reached her inner thighs. They were locked together so tightly that her muscles were starting to get sore. Damon finally turned to look at her. His eyes were guarded, but she could see the smoldering intensity glowing behind them. He mouthed the words 'uncross them' and gave her legs a gentle nudge with his fingers. She shook her head vigorously. He raised one of his eyebrows and mouthed again, 'now.' She felt her resolve dissolving as his eyes burned into hers. He gave a sexy smile as he felt her legs untangle and drop heavily to the floor. The slit in her dress shifted again with the movement, giving Damon even better access between her legs.

She almost moaned out loud as his thumb gently traced the lace of her barely-there thong. She quickly cleared her throat in an attempt to stop the sound. Damon trailed his fingers up and down every inch of her thong that he could reach, and Elena could feel her body overheating with need. Just when she thought that she couldn't take another minute of his torturous movement, he pushed her thong to the side and lightly dipped a finger inside of her folds. He dragged his finger down to her core and back up to coat her folds with wetness, flicking her clit gently as he reached the top of his trail. This elicited a quiet gasp from Elena. No one seemed to notice except Tyler. He looked up from his phone questioningly, and Elena grabbed her cup of water to gulp down a drink. She cleared her throat again and smiled and shrugged at Tyler. He raised one eyebrow at her, but immediately went back to staring at his phone. She sighed with relief and sank back into her chair.

Damon continued to slowly drag his finger up and down the length of her folds, stopping briefly only to fondle her clit. It felt so good that Elena almost knew that if she stood up, there would be a small pool of her wetness on the chair below her. She closed her eyes and let herself get lost in the feeling of his skilled fingers.

A thunderous clapping made her snap back to reality once again. Damon removed her hand from his lap top join with the crowd, and Elena sat up straighter and began to clap as well. The architect smiled from the stage and returned to her seat as Mrs. Lockwood took the microphone once more.

"We're going to take a brief intermission before out next speaker. Please feel free to enjoy more of the hors d'oeuvres before the main course."

Everyone began talking amongst themselves, and Elena reluctantly crossed her legs again as the room came alive with action. The waiters came by and cleared the plates, replacing them with what she assumed would be the dishes for the main course. As the waiter was removing the plate in front of Damon, he bumped his glass of wine, sending the red liquid spilling across Damon's hand.

"I'm so sorry about that, sir." The waiter nervously grabbed Damon's now empty glass. "Let me get you another."

"No need to fret," Damon said coolly, taking the glass back from the waiter with his clean hand. "I can go get it myself." The waiter continued to mutter apologies as he scampered away to the next table, and Damon locked eyes with Elena. She went to reach for her napkin to hand him, but instead he brought his soaked hand up to his mouth. With his gaze never leaving hers, his tongue darted out to lick the wine off of his hand. He slowly stuck his pointer finger in his mouth to suck off the remaining liquid, and Elena realized with wide eyes that that was the finger that was soaking in her wetness not even a minute ago. She felt her knees go weak again, and she was mesmerized in Damon's gaze. He pulled the finger out of his mouth with an exaggerated pop and grinned at her.

"I'm going to go get a refill. Does anyone need anything?" He asked, pushing his chair back from the table.

"Unless you find anything harder than wine while you're back there, I'm good," Alaric replied.

Everyone else mumbled their 'no thank you's,' and Damon rose from the table with his wine glass in hand. With one last lingering glance at Elena, he strode off towards the hallway. Elena realized with a start that she was breathing heavily. If she wasn't already driven crazy, that display was more than enough to do so.

"Um… Elena?" Matt's uncomfortable voice met her ears and she looked over at him. He was looking at her with a concerned expression. "Are you okay? You kind of look like you're going to pass out."

"Oh, I'm fine," she mumbled, fanning herself with her hand. "I think I'm just dehydrated or something." She grabbed her glass of water a little too quickly and finished the entire thing off.

"Oh, okay. Here, do you want mine too?" Matt reached for his untouched glass of water and passed it over to her.

"Thanks, Matt," she said breathlessly, sipping the drink. _Oh, Matt_ she thought. _So sweet. So, so naïve._

Damon returned to the table with a glass of wine in one hand and a cup full of what looked like scotch in the other.

"As per your request, Ric," he said, bowing sarcastically and handing him the cup. "All it took was a little… heavy persuasion… for the waiters to tell me where the good stuff was."

"What a guy," Ric replied, lifting his cup up to Damon in a toast. They clinked glasses and Damon settled back into his seat.

The waiters returned with trays full of turkey, stuffing, potatoes, and greens. It was like a full Thanksgiving feast. The others loaded their plates while Elena stared at the food. At the moment, it wasn't appetizing to her. Never before had she been too wound up to eat. She wished that she could have some of the wine to try and take the edge off of her screaming thoughts. She ladled some gravy on her potatoes and prodded the side of the mound to make it seem like she had eaten something. The room quieted as everyone began to eat, but a low thrum of conversation lingered in the air as people chatted between bites.

"Aren't you hungry?" Matt asked, bits of stuffing flying out of his mouth as he spoke. He pointed with his fork at Elena's mostly untouched meal.

"No, not really."

"That's what happens when you get dehydrated. You should finish that glass of water and ask for another one. It'll help, I promise," Matt said earnestly.

"Dehydrated, huh?" Damon asked. "I'd offer you my drink as well but it wouldn't help that issue much," he murmured, swirling his wine around in the glass. "I guess Matt will just have to be your knight in shining armor today."

Matt tried to suppress the smug grin that spread across his face while Elena tried to suppress an eye roll. She knew that Matt always felt upstaged by the Salvatores, whether it was on the football field or catering to Elena.

"Do you need anything? From me?" Damon asked. His voice was smooth as silk. Elena turned to him with an exasperated look and gave him a small, barely visible pout. Before she could say anything, the crackling of the microphone turning back on filled her ears and interrupted her thoughts.

"Alright everyone. Please continue to enjoy your meals as we invite Mr. Jason Williams, one of our historical foundation's most appreciated donors, to take the stage." Scattered applause filled the room and Elena settled back into her chair. It had to be at least halfway done at this point. If she could just make it through the end of this, she could rip Damon's expensive suit off in the car. She doubted that they would even make it out of the parking lot.

As soon as the speaker began, much to Elena's delight, Damon resumed his position. His hand slid under the tablecloth and onto Elena's bare inner thighs. He wasted no time pulling her thong to the side and continuing his feather-light caresses on her core. She bit her lip to keep from making any involuntary sounds. She was so frustrated that these small touches felt like an excruciating mix of pleasure and need so deep that it almost turned to pain. She knew exactly what her body needed, and that was to ride him like a motorbike until they both ended up in a sweaty heap on the floor.

Damon's touches got deeper as the speaker on the stage continued to drone on. He used two fingers to massage and pinch at her clit. Elena's eyebrows furrowed in concentration as she tried to keep her features from twisting with pleasure. She knew that this was an absolutely immoral thing to be doing at a founder's event, but every thought about making Damon stop was pushed aside with every flick on her bundle of nerves that sent pleasure rocketing deep into her stomach. She tried to keep her breathing under control as she felt herself nearing the edge. _No way,_ she thought. _I cannot have an orgasm right now and still keep a quiet, straight face._

She squirmed around in her chair, trying to press her legs back together and fight off Damon's hand, but he effortlessly kept her legs spread apart with the just strength of his thumb and pinky finger. His fingers picked up the pace, swirling circles around her clit. Elena was fighting her release, but she felt it coming on so strong that there was no way she could stop it. She was so close. Just as she was about to dive head first over the edge, a loud voice in the microphone jolted her out of her hazy pleasure.

"Elena?"

Elena jumped, shocked that she was so far out of it to not even notice that Jeremy was on the stage, motioning for her to join him. She took in a ragged breath and looked around. Her entire table was looking at her, smiling kindly. _They don't seem to realize what was just happening,_ she thought to herself as she pulled the napkin off her lap. Damon deftly pulled his hand away from under her dress and stood up, helping her pull back her chair so that she could adjust her dress as she stood. The walk to the stage couldn't have been more than 100 feet, but it felt like a mile. Her feet wobbled in her heels and her legs threatened to give out as her body shook from still being on the edge of orgasm. Jeremy took her hand to help as she climbed the three large stairs to take her place next to him on stage. He tapped the microphone awkwardly and fidgeted with the bottom of his suit coat.

"Normally, uh, we do this at graduation," Jeremy began, "but this year I was in charge of picking the recipient of the Gilbert Memorial Scholarship, and I figured tonight's event would be a great time to give out the award." Elena let out a breath that she didn't realize she had been holding in during the walk to the stage. She had no idea Jeremy was going to do this tonight. If she would have known that she would have been in the public eye, she would have never let Damon finger her in front of the founders. She took a deep breath, desperately trying to look like she was in control of her body. She knew that the skin on her chest must be red and splotchy. It always got like that when she was about to cum. She hoped that anyone who noticed just assumed that she was nervous to be in front of a crowd.

"So for anyone who doesn't know, my sister and I decided to use some of our inheritance left behind by my parents to help fellow classmates out with a scholarship for college. This year, the recipient is going to be someone who I know to be a very hard worker both inside and outside of the classroom. She is going to be attending Whitmore College to become a nurse. I can't think of a better way to honor my dad's legacy than to give this award to someone who is pursuing a future in medicine. So without further ado," he pulled an envelope out of his jacket pocket and peered out into the crowd. "I'm happy to announce that Breanna Burns is the recipient of the second annual Gilbert Memorial Scholarship."

The crowd burst into applause as Breanna stood up from one of the tables in the back of the room and made her way to the stage. She reached Elena and Jeremy and hugged them both warmly. Elena saw Breanna's parents rise from their seats, beaming with pride, to take a picture. _Oh great,_ she thought. _Can't wait to see how hot and bothered I look in that photo when it's on the front page of Mystic Falls' newspaper._

"Thank you both. This is such an honor," she said, smiling warmly with tears welling up in her eyes.

"Thank Jeremy," Elena said, smiling back at her. "He was the selection committee." Breanna turned to hug Jeremy again. "No one deserves it more than you, Breanna," she added, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Congratulations."

The applause subsided and they all turned to slip behind the curtain. Breanna cradled the award envelope in her arms and walked out of the rear exit door arm in arm with Jeremy. Elena reveled in the solitude. She sat down heavily on a dusty, abandoned chair beside the long ropes that controlled the curtains and lighting fixtures of the stage. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. She couldn't believe that she let herself lose every bit of morality and self-control like that.

"Thinking about me?" Damon's voice said coyly from the darkness. The backstage area was pitch black, very dimly illuminated by the glowing red exit sign above the door from which Jeremy and Breanna had just left.

Elena jumped onto her feet, suddenly filled with embarrassment and red-hot anger. "Damon, you have _got_ to stop testing my self-control like that. Do you realize what would have happened if someone would have seen you doing that to me?" She groaned and drug her fingernails from her scalp to the bottom of her hair. "It makes me want to… I just need to… Argh!" Her skin was boiling. She felt like screaming and pounding on his chest, but at the same time, she felt like tearing off her skin-tight dress and wrapping her body around his. She had never lost control like this before. She hated feeling like anyone had power over her in any situation. Not having control over her own body was a foreign feeling to her. She wanted Damon to feel the same way. She wanted to give him a taste of his own medicine.

With every ounce of her strength, she threw herself at Damon. He didn't budge of course, but the feeling of her body smashing into his with a loud thud was satisfying enough. The impact knocked the wind out of her, but she had no trouble regaining it as she attacked Damon's lips with her own. Damon seemed taken aback by her feverish nature at first. His hands gently touched her bare back as if he was trying to calm down a wild animal. After a few seconds, however, he realized that Elena was not in the mood to play nice. He began to kiss her back with a ferocity that matched her own. Elena shoved Damon's chest as hard as she could, and he let his body fall back onto the chair that Elena had risen from earlier. He licked his lips as he looked at her, blue eyes gleaming in the darkness. He was enjoying this side of Elena.

"No," she growled, advancing on his slouched form. She peeled her dress up her legs so that is gathered at a heap around her waist. Now that her legs were exposed, she could straddle Damon. She lowered herself onto him and grabbed his face harshly between her hands. "This is for me. You need to feel the way that I feel. I want to do to you the things that you do to me."

"You don't think that it's absolute torture having to sit next to you and watch you writhing for my touch? I want you so much that it's painful. Self-control is not something I practice, Elena, but you push me to limits that I didn't even know existed within myself," he growled. He grabbed a fistful of Elena's hair and yanked down on it so that her head was level with his ear. "Do you have any idea how hard it was for me not to take you on top of that fucking table out there? I have _never_ wanted anyone like I want you every second of every day. And I don't like it when I have to wait for what I want." His words made Elena wet all over again. They were both mad. Frustration was coursing off of them like heat waves. Elena could feel his painfully hard erection pushing against her core as she straddled him. She grabbed it and palmed him roughly.

"I'm starting to get the idea that you think you have the power in these kinds of situations," she hissed, continuing to rub his shaft over his pants. He grew even harder under her rough strokes. "Me. I have the power over you." She moved her hands to replace her throbbing core on top of his member. She rocked back and forth, grinding against him and swiveling her hips around with each movement.

"Elena," he groaned. "I'm going to tear that thong off and fuck you in front of the entire audience of elite Mystic Falls."

"Shut up," she growled back, digging her fingernails into the back of his neck. She thrust her mouth down onto his, and their tongues locked in an intricate battle for dominance. Damon moaned softly into her mouth, keeping one hand tangled in her hair and the other one gripping her hip so tightly that she knew it was going to leave a bruise. He tried to move his hand down to touch her, but she jumped away from his touch and removed her body from his, immediately dropping to her knees on the floor in front of him. She grabbed the back of his thighs and let her teeth graze against the fabric of his suit pants right across the top of his shaft. His bulge was pressing against the pants so tightly that she couldn't believe they hadn't torn yet. She placed light, gentle kisses on his covered shaft, and he groaned more loudly this time. He reached down to undo the button on his pants, but Elena grabbed his hand to stop him before he could remove them. She stuck his pointer and middle finger as far in her mouth as they would go, sucking and biting on his fingertips on their way out. Damon's eyes were almost pitch black with lust now.

His head snapped up to look at the heavy curtain separating them from the rest of the world. "Someone's coming," he said weakly. It was like Elena hadn't heard him. She went back to work on his member with her hands, sliding her fingers through the zipper on his pants to get a better grip on him. "Elena," he snarled urgently. "We have to go. As much fun as _I_ think it would be for us to be caught in the act, I don't think it would be amusing for your future." Elena still didn't acknowledge him. She circled her thumb around the head of his cock, applying gentle pressure exactly where she knew he liked it. With what sounded like an inhuman growl, Damon grabbed her by the arms and whisked her away with lightning speed. Before Elena could blink, they were chest to chest in a hallway that led back to the dining hall. They were both breathing heavily, and they looked disheveled.

They stared at each other, standing close but not touching, until a server bustled out of a door on the side of the hallway and almost plowed them over. Elena sidestepped out of the way and shot an apologetic smile to the alarmed man.

"Sorry!" The server called back at them as he hurried towards the main hall with a tray full of filled wine glasses.

Elena let out a deep breath that she didn't know she was holding and looked back over to Damon. To her surprise, he wasn't by her side anymore. She scanned the hallway and saw nothing but two hands reaching around the corner and snatching two of the wine glasses off of the tray without the waiter even noticing. Elena blinked, and jumped as she opened her eyes to see Damon now by her side again and holding one of the glasses of wine out to her. She took it and gulped the entire thing down without a word.

Damon sipped on his glass lightly and watched Elena with curious eyes.

"That was ridiculous. This is ridiculous. We are ridiculous!" Elena muttered, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "I do not act like this, Damon. I know that you're wild and reckless and completely inappropriate behavior is probably the norm for you, but I have crossed a line that I never thought I would." She started pacing back and forth in front of him and fanning herself with her free hand. Damon stayed silent and continued to watch her. "You're pushing me way too far with this. I'm losing my mind!" She yelled, stopping her pacing and stepping toward him so they were only centimeters apart. "Say something!" She hissed through her teeth.

"What do you want me to say, Elena? You're acting like I'm influencing you to be irresistibly attracted to me." He smirked, but then dropped his smile when Elena frowned more heavily at his comment. "Oh, come on. You can't deny that this is a 50-50 push and pull on both sides. We can't stay off of each other. It's not just you. It's not just me. It's mutual. And I don't think it's going to stop any time soon." He reached out and pulled her the short distance to press their bodies together. "I'm sorry that I did that to you," he whispered into her ear. "Actually, scratch that. I am not sorry at all that I did that to you. Tell me that doing something delightfully naughty in public isn't thrilling." Elena didn't answer him and continued to stare at his shoulder. "What I _am_ sorry about is making you flustered and uncomfortable when you had to be in front of an audience. I wasn't expecting that."

"I wasn't either. I had no idea that Jeremy planned that for today." She huffed and let her shoulders sag. "At least all I had to do was stand there."

"Hey," Damon mumbled, putting a hand under her chin and raising her face to look in her eyes. "Do you also want me to apologize for not being able to keep my hands off of you? For being so utterly enthralled by you that I can't control my actions? For finally getting to play out the fantasies that have only existed in my wildest dreams? For being so in love that I still think this isn't real?"

"No…" Elena began. She tried to keep her irritation with Damon, but his sparkling eyes made it hard to keep up. After a few seconds, she allowed a small smile to cross her lips. He smiled back at her and leaned down to kiss her.

"Good, because for those things, I will not apologize." He placed another sweet kiss on her lips, then her cheek, then her forehead. "Go ahead back out. I'll join you in a few minutes so it doesn't look suspicious." Elena nodded, then turned and started down the hallway. "I know you know, Miss Gilbert, that I personally _love_ making a scene, so you're lucky that I'm being such a gentleman." She knew without looking back that he was smirking, and she shook her head with a roll of her eyes.

"There you are," Matt said as Elena reached the table. "We thought you got lost back there or something."

"Sorry, Breanna was very chatty!" She replied. She looked around the room and noticed that both Jeremy and Breanna's seats were empty. Her brow furrowed and she realized that she would have to grill Jeremy on this later. She was so wrapped up in her own affairs that she had no idea what was going on with her brother lately.

Matt seemed to accept this answer and dove back into his mousse dessert. "I got you some more water," he said with a mouth full. Elena looked in front of her and saw three new glasses of water. She laughed.

"Thank you. I'm feeling a lot better now." She took one of the waters and sipped on it. "Where's Damon?" She asked for good measure.

"I don't know. We figured he went to terrorize one of the waitresses or something," Tyler replied.

Elena gave him a disapproving look and scanned the room again. She wasn't sure how long Damon was going to wait to return or what he was doing now. She genuinely hoped that Tyler's snide comment didn't actually hold any truth and that he wasn't drinking blood instead of wine. Elena knew for a fact that he was running low on blood bags because Stefan was the one who picked them up from the hospital.

"Are you coming tonight Elena?" Tyler asked, not looking up from his phone.

"Coming where?"

"Don't tell me you forgot. I always have a party at my place the night of these stupid dinners. My mom stays in the hotel with the guests."

Elena actually had forgotten. "Oh yeah, of course."

"Cool," he looked up for a second and grinned at her. "I'm trying to coordinate the keg delivery right now. These guys are idiots." He shook his head and looked back down.

"Are you going to bring Damon with you?" Matt asked. Elena was slightly taken aback. She definitely wasn't ready to tell her friends about their relationship yet, but she knew that Damon wouldn't let her go anywhere without his protection, especially since he spotted Kol lurking around The Grill again the day before.

"He's going to come whether I ask him to or not," Elena said and then leaned closer to Matt and continued in a hushed tone. "Remember how I told you Stefan's friend is in trouble? Well Damon thinks that Rebekah, the girl after them, is going to try and kidnap me and use me as leverage in the whole thing. We don't know exactly where she is but some of her family is in town."

Matt nodded slowly. "That's probably good thinking. I understand why he's around all the time now." Elena's heart ached with the fact that she was lying to her friends, but she didn't say anything to correct Matt.

"What exciting historical building chatter did I miss?" Damon asked Rick as he sat back down beside Elena.

"I couldn't tell you. I've been staring into the void for the past half hour. The good news is that we only have the closing remarks left, no more speakers." Rick sighed and finished off the glass of alcohol that Damon had brought him earlier.

"Alright, the kegs are in place and I am ready to get _out of here!"_ Tyler practically yelled as he fidgeted in his seat.

"Kegs?" Damon asked, raising an eyebrow.

"For the party tonight. I didn't invite you but Elena told me you would be coming anyways," Tyler huffed.

Damon turned to Elena with an unamused look. "I suppose you'll be in attendance and that's why Fido is extending an invitation?"

Elena shot him an apologetic smile. She knew Damon hated going to high school parties. "Yes, I'm going."

"Mmhmm. We'll see," Damon said quietly so that only she could hear as he placed his hand on the small of her back behind the chair. Elena sucked in a breath at the electricity she felt from his touch and gave him an exasperated look. He only replied with a 1000-kilowatt smile and a wink. Elena sighed, resigned, and turned her attention to the untouched dessert in front of her as she silently prayed for this even to end soon.


End file.
